English nativity plays

HANDBOUND
AT THE

UNIVERSITY OF
TORONTO PRESS

With the Compliments of

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

NEW HAVEN, CONN., U. S. A.

YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH
ALBERT S. COOK, EDITOR.

XXXVIII

ENGLISH NATIVITY PLAYS

EDITED WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES,
AND GLOSSARY

BY

SAMUEL B. HEMINGWAY, PH.D.

INSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH IN YALE UNIVERSITY

A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Yale
University in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

NEW YORK

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

1909

WEIMAR : PRINTED BY R. WAGNER SOHN

PREFACE

There has hitherto been but little intensive and
minute study of the English mystery plays. The texts
of some of them have been well edited, and their gen
eral aspects and problems have been described by such
men as Chambers and Gayley, in books which combine,
in a delightful manner, deep scholarship and true art;
but the field is so large that in general studies there
is neither time nor space for the discussion of minor
problems. It is indisputable that the work of Cham
bers and Gayley is more important and significant than
the minute study of sources, authorship, and the like ;
yet the latter, particularly in these plays, has an im
portant place.

The work of the present editor in tracing sources
has led to several comparatively important conclusions.
Almost invariably, writers on the English mysteries,
in scant references, assert that the sources of these
plays are to be found in the Vulgate and the Apoc
ryphal Gospels. The reader thus forms a false estimate
of the breadth of learning and culture which the writers
of these plays possessed. Let him but glance through
the notes on the sources of the Chester and Cov
entry plays in this edition, and he will discover how
closely they are related to all the contemporary
literature of Europe, profane as well as sacred.

Again, there is the problem of the authorship of
the Chester plays. Ranulf Higden has long been
suspected of being their author; Chambers has done

Preface

admirable work in arranging and interpreting all of
the relevant external evidence, but this evidence
will not stand alone. It is a strange thing that no
one has cared to take the trouble to compare the
Chester plays with the undoubted work of Higden.
A few hours spent in such comparison have resulted in
the discovery of evidence which leaves little doubt
of the authorship. The importance of this proof,
together with that of the work on sources, is emphas
ized in the relation they bear to the larger and more
important problem of foreign influence on the Chester
plays (see Introduction, pp. xxiv— xxvii).

This arrangement of plays is, I believe, new, and
I trust will prove convenient. It tends to emphasize
the resemblances and differences between the produc
tions of the four dramatists, and also gives oppor
tunity for comparisons of many kinds. The Intro
duction contains conclusions drawn from materials to
be found in the Notes. I have endeavored to make
the Notes as brief and condensed as possible, leaving
much to the presupposed knowledge of such a student
as would be apt to use the book. The Glossary
contains only such words as have not survived in
modern English in the same or similar form. I have
not included a Bibliography, as the one published
by Stoddard in 1888, and the additions to it in Litbl.
1888 (3). 117-128, and Anglia 11.325 f., are complete
up to their respective dates. All subsequent books
which have any bearing on these plays are referred
to in the Notes.

My thanks are due, and are here gladly expressed,
to the following persons : Professor Albert S. Cook, of
Yale University, for his constant interest, suggestions,
and advice, as well as for much valuable bibliographical
assistance; the late Duke of Devonshire, for per-

Preface

mission to transcribe his manuscript of the Chester
Plays; Mrs. J. Arthur Strong, librarian to the Duke
of Devonshire, for her courtesy and attention ; Rev.
H. N. Cunningham, of Watertown, Conn., for letters of
introduction, by means of which I procured access to
the Devonshire manuscript; Professor John M. Manly,
of the University of Chicago, for advice and en
couragement ; Professor William H. Schofield, of
Harvard University, for a reference to Higden; Mr.
Clarence W. Mendell, of Yale University, for his in
terest in my work, and for various suggestions ; the
officers and staff of the Yale University Library, for
their courteous attention to my requests.

S. B. H.

INTRODUCTION

i. THE PLAYS

The plays of this edition are those dealing with
the story of the Nativity of Christ — from the
Annunciation to the Adoration of the Shepherds
— in the four great English mystery cycles, the
Chester, the Coventry or Hegge, the York, and the
Towneley or Wakefield. I have not included the
Coventry Pageant of the Shearmen and Taylors, the
real Coventry mystery, as its text is accessible in the
publications of the EETS., and there is little in it
that demands annotation or comment. The plays
included are : Nos. 6 and 7 of the Chester cycle (de
signated in this edition as Ch. I and II); Nos. 11, 12,
13, 15, 16 of the Coventry cycle (C. I, II, III, IV, V) ;
Nos. 12, 13, 14, 15 of the York cycle (Y. I, II, III,
IV); and Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13 of the Towneley cycle
(T. I, II, III, IV). The 14th play of the Coventry cycle,
The Trial of Joseph and Mary, I have omitted, as it
has no parallel in the other cycles, and is more closely
related to C. 8, 9, and 10 than to our group, being
taken from the apocryphal account of the life of Mary.

This selection of plays is, I think, a rational one,
for, as we shall see later, this group forms an in
dependent, organic whole. In its history and devel-
opement it is quite distinct from the plays which
precede and follow it, even the Magi plays having
an entirely separate origin and growth.

ii Introduction

2. THE MANUSCRIPTS

The Chester plays have survived in five manuscripts,
The oldest of these, the Devonshire manuscript (re
ferred to as D), bears the date 1591, and the signature
of Edward Gregorie, scholar of Bunbury (fol. 150b).
This manuscript is in the possession of the Duke of
Devonshire, and is in his library at Chatsworth in
Derbyshire (not at Devonshire House, London, as
Dr. Furnivall asserts in the EETS. edition of the
Chester plays). It was overlooked by Dr. Deimling,
the editor of the EETS. edition, and the part includ
ing our plays has never before been published. Through
the courtesy of the late Duke and of his librarian,
Mrs. J. Arthur Strong, I obtained access to the Dev
onshire manuscript, and have used it as the basis
of my text in the present edition.

Three manuscripts of the Chester plays are in the
British Museum : Additional 10,305 (W, 1592 A.D.), the
basis of Wright's edition, Harleian 2013 (h, 1600 A.D.),
and Harleian 2124 (H, 1607 A.D.), the latter the basis
of Deimling's text. One manuscript is in the Bodleian
Library, Oxford— Bodley 175 (B, 1604 A.D.), written
by William Bedford.

The plays of the other cycles exist in unique manu
scripts. The manuscript of the Coventry plays is in the
British Museum, Cotton Vespasian D.VIII, dated 1468. My
text is constructed from photographs of this manuscript.

The manuscript of the York plays, dating from 1430
-1440, was until recently in the possession of the Earl
of Ashburnham ; it is now in the British Museum,
Additional MS. 35,290. It has had a most interesting
history, and is fully described in Lucy Toulmin Smith's
edition of the York plays. My text is based on the
reprint of the manuscript in Miss Smith's edition.

Editions iii

The Towneley manuscript is in the possession of
Major Coates, of Ewell, Surrey. It was written in the
second half of the fifteenth century, and was long in the
library of Towneley Hall, whence it derived its name.
It was then for many years in the possession of Mr.
Quaritch, the London bookseller, from whom it has
recently passed into the hands of Major Coates. My
text is based on the reprint of the manuscript in
Mr. George England's edition for the EETS.

3. EDITIONS

THE CHESTER PLAYS.

1843—1847. Complete cycle. Chester Mysteries, ed.
Thomas Wright, 2 vols., Shakespeare Society.
Text 'from the MS. of 1592 [W], with a few
corrections from that of 1600 [h].'

1853. The same. Printed as vol. 1 of the Supplement
to Dodsley's Old Plays.

1892. Plays 1-13. The Chester Plays, Pt. I., ed.
Hermann Deimling, EETS. Ex. Ser. 62. Text
from MS. H, with collations of B W h. Pt. II.,
containing the rest of the cycle, is promised
by the EETS.

THE COVENTRY PLAYS.

1823. Plays 11, 12, 13, 15 (C. I, II, III, IV), abridged
Ancient Mysteries, ed. William Hone.

1838. Play 12 (C. II), abridged. A Collection of Eng
lish Mystery Plays, ed. William Marriott, pub
lished at Basel.

1841. Complete cycle. Coventry Mysteries, ed. J. O.
Halliwell, for the Shakespeare Society.

1890. Play 1 1 (C. I), abridged. English Miracle Plays,
ed. A. W. Pollard.
a2

iv Introduction

1900. Play 11 (C. I). Specimens of the Pre-Shak-
sperean Drama, ed. J. M. Manly.

THE YORK PLATS.

1885. Complete cycle. York Mystery Plays, ed. Lucy
Toulmin Smith.

THE TOWNELEY PLAYS.

1836. Complete cycle. The Towneley Mysteries, ed.
J. S. Stevenson, for the Surtees Society.

1836. Play 13 (T. IV). Five Myracle Plays, ed. J. P.
Collier.

1838. Play 13 (T. IV). A Collection of English Mir
acle Plays, ed. William Marriott, Basel.

1890. Plays 13 (T. IV), abridged. English Miracle
Plays, ed. A. W. Pollard.

1897. Complete cycle. The Towneley Plays, ed. G.
England, EETS. Ex. Ser. 71.

1900. Play 13 (T. IV). Specimens of the Pre-Shak-
sperean Drama, ed. J. M. Manly.

4. THE TEXT OF THE CHESTER PLAYS
IN THIS EDITION

Deimling, in his thorough examination of the four
manuscripts of the Chester plays which he used — B,
W, h, and H — has proved conclusively that the four
manuscripts represent two different traditions, B W h
forming one group, and H representing the other (see
EETS. Ex. Ser. 62, vii-xxix.). H, the youngest of all
the manuscripts, he used as the basis of his text, as
it furnishes better readings than any of the other three.

The Devonshire manuscript, however, the basis of
the text of the present edition, is particularly important
as being the oldest of the five manuscripts, as being

The Text of the Chester Plays in this Edition v

representative of Deimling's group, B W h, and as
furnishing quite as good readings as the later H.

The evidence in our two plays for the close relation
of D to B W h is strong. There are 188 readings in
which D agrees with B W h and differs from H ; of
these, 85 are significant differences, to be considered as
direct evidence ; the other 103 merely show the general
tendency in insignificant readings. Moreover, there
are only 28 readings in which D agrees with H and
differs from B W h, and of these only 1 1 are at all
significant. I give a list of references to the more
significant readings, and for the others refer the reader
to the Variants in general. D's relation to B W h
is shown in readings in the following lines (cf. Variants) :
Ch. I. stage-direction after 64 (two readings), 94,
stage-direction after 120, 136, stage-direction after
160, 170, stage-directions after 172 and 176, 194, 199,
after 230, 238, 243, stage-direction after 283, 305, 317,
385, 394, stage-direction after 431, 444, 450, stage-
directions after 467 and 479, 508, 543 and 544, 589,
590, 591, 641 a, II. 5, 6, 22, 31, stage-directions after
40 and 44, 48, 54, before 57, 57 and subsequent
headings, 71, 78, 95, 101, 104, 114, after 124, 131, 133,
135, after 136, 144, 170, 171, 175, 185, 187, after 191,
232, 238, 248, 253, 262, 265, after 265, 274, 276, 282,
298, 301, 303, 304-305, 313, 318-319, 322, 342, 348,
384-388, 403, 404, 408, 413, 415, 425, 456, 480, 503,
511, 552-553, 555, 562, 578, 584, 589, 656, 677, 685, 691.
The evidence against this relation is found in Ch. I. 25,
127, 244, 571, 678, II. 11, after 164, 195, 347, 403, 471.

In 56 places D offers better readings than any other
manuscript ; in 34 places D's readings are poor. Compa
ring this record with that of H, we find that in only
19 places does H offer better readings than any other
manuscript, and that in 58 places its readings are poor.

vi Introduction

D's superior readings are in the following lines : I.
26, 30, 42, after 48, 71, 102, 135, 146, 207, 229, 331,
341, 346, 354, 393, 464, 502, 514, 545, 550, 588, 629,
701, II. 72, 78, 120, 145, 146, 155, 159, 184, 185, 194,
195, 197, 224, 226, 231, 240, 244, 265, 267, 285, 319,390,
399, 513, 518, 536, 539, 546, 550, 647, 652, 654. D's
inferior readings are in the following lines : I. 19,
32, 51, 103, 203, 236, 339, 341, 346, 367 abed, 383,
401, after 550, 601, 611, 621, 691, II. 18, 23, 56, 58 (?),
84, 87, 91, 122, 142, 217, 249, 254, 360, 368, 476, 519,
569. H affords the best readings in the following
lines : I. 508, 619, 694, II. 22, 54 (?), 123, after 124,
130, 168, 170, 171, after 175, after 191, 221, 233, 286, 352,
505, 668. H's poor readings are in the following lines :
I. 93, 94, 194, 238, 305, 317, 394, 444, 450, 464,
590, 591, 648, II. 5, 6, 31, 48, 78, 95, 114, 131, 136,
145, 150, 157, 166, 199, 207, 211, 232, 238, 253, 265,
270, 282, 294, 295, 298, 301, 313, 348, 403, 415, 425,
454, 463, 562, 572, 578, 584, 589, omission of 597-640,
677, omission of 680, 681, 685, 687, 691.

The scribe of H evidently tried to improve his
text by emendation and correction (cf. I. 647-650),
by inserting the sources of the narrative from the
Vulgate (I. Iff.), by adding Latin stage-directions,
and by leaving blanks where the stanzaic form seemed
imperfect. Sometimes he was successful, but more
often he gave the author credit for too much care.
In Ch. II. 165-197 he noticeably improves the rime,
but succeeds at the same time in destroying the
sense and general character of the boy's speech.

D, we have seen, is representative of a group of
manuscripts earlier than H, and moreover is as much
superior to H as H is superior to the other manuscripts
of the earlier group ; it is less elaborated than H, and
seems to give a version closer to the original plays.

The History and Development of the Nativity Plays vii

5. THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
OF THE NATIVITY PLAYS

Of all the great feast-days of the Christian year, two
stand supreme, Easter and Christmas; in the Church
services for these two days lies the origin of the
modern drama. Easter is a day of spiritual and mystical
significance only, Christmas a day full of vital human
interest ; and the simplicity and realism of the Christ
mas story make it far more adaptable to dramatic
purposes. And so, although Easter, in the Church
service and in the. liturgical drama springing from it,
holds first place, the Christmas service and Christmas
liturgy have resulted in a higher form of drama, and
in one which has had much wider influence.

The ultimate source of the drama is in symbolism
The central point of the Christmas play is the manger,
or prcesepe, erected in the churches at Christmas time.
We know little of. the early history of the Chapel of
the Nativity at Bethlehem, but we do know that it
existed in the fourth century, and any service held there
at Christmas time must inevitably have been dramatic
to some degree. In the eighth century, however, we
find in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome,
direct evidence of the dramatic nature of the Christmas
service. Two boards from the ' true manger ' at Beth
lehem had been brought to Rome and incorporated
in the manger of this church, and on Christmas day
the Pope celebrated mass at Santa Maria, using the
manger as an altar. There is no record of any dra
matic ritual used at this service, but in the setting
of the service, and in the presence of the manger, we
find the direct ancestor of the liturgical drama; and
in so far as this act of worship is an ancestor of the

viii Introduction

drama, the Christmas play may claim precedence over
the Easter play.

The earliest extant ancestor of the spoken drama
is, however, in the Easter service. In the ninth
century great elaboration and amplification of the
liturgy took place, and it is through the change in
Church music that the liturgical drama arose. The
Gregorian chants had lost favor because of their
simplicity, and hence many new melodies were insert
ed in them, sung at first not to words, but to vowel-
sounds. Soon texts to these melodies, called tropes,
began to be written. There is a ninth-century Christ
mas trope which for some reason did not survive,
but in this same ninth-century manuscript we find
the parent of the liturgical drama in the famous Easter
trope, ' Quern quaeritis in sepulchro, O Christicolae ? *
A Christmas trope was modeled upon this Easter one,
when first we do not know; the earliest one extant
is in an eleventh-century manuscript of St. Gall,
which I quote in full:

In Natale Domini ad Missam sint parati duo diaconi, induti dal-
maticis, retro altare dicentes :

Quern quaeritis in prsesepe, pastores, dicite?
Respondeant duo cantores in choro :

Salvatorem Christum Dominum, infantem pannis involutum,
secundum sermonem angelicum.
Item diaconi :

Adest hie parvulus cum Maria, matre~ sua, de qua vaticinando
Isaias Propheta : ecce virgo concipiet et pariet filium. Et nun-
tiantes dicite quia natus est.
Tune cantor dicat exceha voce :

Alleluia, Alleluia, iam vero scimus Christum natrum in terris,
de quo canite omnes cum propheta dicentes :

Puer natus est &c. [then follows the Introit.}

Two points should be noted in regard to this play :
first, the original Christmas play is a Shepherds' Play ;
second, the prophecy of Isaiah is retained from the
account of the birth of Christ in Matt. 1. 23.

The History and Development of the Nativity Plays ix

The next step in the development of the Christmas
play is well illustrated by this liturgical drama of the
thirteenth century (printed in Coussemaker, Drames
Liturgiques du Moyen Age, pp. 235 ff.):

In sancta nocte nativitatis Domini, post Te Deum, Angelus assistet,
annunciet Christum natum esse et hoc dicat :

Nolite timere, ecce enim evangelizo vobis gaudium magnum
quod erit omni populo ; quia natus est vobis hodie Salvator mundi
in civitate David. Et hoc vobis signum, invenietis infantem
pannis involutum et positum in presepio.

Hoc audientes septem pueri, stantes in alto loco, dicant :

Gloria in excelsisDeo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Audientes Pastores eant versus presepe, cantantes hoc respon-
sorium.

Pax in terra nunciatur,

in excelsis gloria !
Terra federatur

mediante gracia.

V

Mediator homo Deus

descendit in propria,
ut ascendat homo reus

ad admissa gaudia.

Eya! Eya!

Transeamus, videamus

verbum hoc quod factum est;
transeamus ut sciamus

quod nunciatum est.

Versus :

In Judea Puer vagit,

Puer Salus populi,
quo bellandum se presagit

vetus hospes saeculi.

Accedamus, accedamus

ad presepe Domini,
et dicamus

Laus fecundee virgini.

Tune Pastores gradiantur per chorum^ in manibus baculos portantes,
et cantantes, usque ad Christi presepe :

Transeamus usque Bethleem, et videamus hoc verbum quod
factum est, quod fecit Dominus et ostendit nobis.

x Introduction

Jilt's venientibus, duo clerici in presepe content :

Quern qusBritis in presepe, pastores, dicite?

Pastores respondcant :

Salvatorem Christum Dominum infantem, pannis involutum,
secundum sermonem angelicum.

Item obstetrices cortinam aperientes Puerum demonstrent^ dicentes
versus :

Adest hie parvulus cum Maria matre sua, de quo vaticinando
Ysayas dixerat Propheta.

Ostendant matrem pueri dicentes :

Ecce virgo concipiet et pariet filium; et euntes dicite quia
natus est.

Tune salutent pastores Virginem, ita dicentes :

Salve, virgo singularis,
Virgo manens Deum paris
ante secla generatum

corde patris ;
adoremus nunc creatum

carne matris.

Versus :

Nos, Maria, tua prece
a peccatis purga fece
nostri cursum incolatus;

sic dispone
ut det sua frui natus
visione.

Tune viso Puero, Pastores adorent eum, deinde vertant se ad chorum^
dicentes :

Alleluia ! Alleluia ! Jam vere scimus Christum natum in terris,
de quo canite omnes cum prophetis, dicentes:

Postea statim incipiatur Missa, et Pastores regant chorum et can-
tent Gloria in excelsis Deo, et Epistola et Tropa. Et unus
Pastorum legat lectionem: Populus gentium, Subdiaconus tunica
indutus legat epistolam, nullo gradate intercepto. Duo Pastores can-
tent in pulpito gradale : Tecum principium. Duo de majore sede
content in pulpito : Alleluia, Dominus dixit. Finita Missa, Sacerdos
qui missam cantaverit vertat se ad Pastores et dicat hanc antiphonam
usque ad Natum.

This play emphasizes most clearly the close con
nection of the liturgical play with the Church service,
even after the play has gone beyond the mere stage of
dialogue, and has become amplified and elaborated.

The History and Development of the Nativity Plays xi

It is not yet a thing apart, arbitrarily inserted in the
service, but remains an integral part of the ritual.

Many significant changes in the Christmas play
occurred in the interval between the two plays that
I have quoted ; elements were introduced which have
not only themselves remained in the vernacular
plays, but which have also to a high degree di
rected the course of their development. Chief
among these additions is the appearance of the mid-
wives,1 who were doubtless borrowed from the
Apocryphal Gospel to take the place of the Mar
ies in the Easter plays, and to give variety to the
music by the introduction of boys' voices. But al
though no other element of the Apocryphal narrative
appears in the liturgical play, the basis of most of the
English Christmas plays, and of practically all the
continental vernacular plays, is not the Scriptural but
the Apocryphal narrative. The York Nativity Play
proper (Y. Ill) is an exception, but in the other York
Christmas plays the Apocrypha is used (cf. Y. II).
There are two reasons for the adoption of the Apocry
phal version: first, the Apocryphal account contains
many more incidents and details which can be adapted
for dramatic purposes ; and, secondly (and perhaps
chiefly), given the midwife element in the liturgical
drama, the natural development will be along the
line of the version which includes that.

Other important additions are the shepherds' journey
to Bethlehem, their song on the way, and their
salutation-lyrics, all of which appear in the English
plays, and the last two of which do not appear in the
Scriptural or Apocryphal accounts. Notice also the
retention of Isaiah's prophecy, but the omission of the

1 The midwives first appear in the tenth-century Freising
Christmas play. See Davidson, English Mystery Plays, p. 64.

xii Introduction

command to ' make known abroad concerning the child '
taken from Luke 2. 17, and included in the English
plays (Ch. II. 654 if., T. III. 491, 495, IV. 744).

It must be remembered that the liturgical plays
which I have quoted are in no way to be regarded
sources of the English mysteries, but merely as
suggestive of what these sources must have been.
There are extant no Christmas liturgical dramas which
were used in the English cathedrals, all having been
destroyed with the destruction of the monasteries
under Henry VIII ; but there are records at Lincoln,
York, Salisbury, and Lichfield, of liturgical plays having
been given, and our only method of discovering what
their nature must have been is to study the general type
of Continental plays. Those quoted seem to be repre
sentative of the early and late forms respectively.

So far we have been tracing the course of the main
current of the Christmas plays ; it is now time to
consider some of the tributaries. Of these the chief
in its effect, the pseudo-Augustinian prophet-sermon,
originated some three centuries before our first extant
Officium Pastorum ; and although it probably took
dramatic form before the Pastores, the great popu
larity and superior appropriateness of the latter soon
relegated the prophet-play to a secondary place. The
origin and history of this sermon-play I have discussed
in the notes to Y. I. 1-144 and 1-132 ; let me
here again call attention to the significant combina
tion of the prophet-element and the shepherd-element,
resulting, in the English plays, in the use of the
prophet-play as a transition from the Old Testament
to the Christmas plays, and also in the inclusion of
prophecies in the Shepherds' Plays proper.

After the dramatisation of the story of the Birth of
Christ and the Adoration of the Shepherds, the next

The History and Development of the Nativity Plays xiii

step was a natural and simple one, a dramatization of
the events leading up to them, the Annunciation and
Visitation. The only extant liturgical drama on these
subjects includes both ; it is from Processional C, Archives
of the Chapter of Cividale, a fifteenth-century manus
cript, printed in Coussemaker, Drames Liturgiques.
The Annunciation follows the Scriptural account ver
batim ; there is no interval between the Annunciation
and the Visitation, but Elizabeth begins her salutation
with a rimed couplet, the only original part of the
play. She salutes Mary as follows :

Salve chara, Deo grata,
Te saluto, sis beata.

She then proceeds with the Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
and Mary replies with the Magnificat, which the scribe
did not trouble to write out after the first two lines
(cf. Y. I. 240). After the play is the direction cHoc
completo Corarii intonent Te Deum.' From the records
of Lincoln Cathedral we know that there the liturgical
play of the Annunciation was given at Christmas time,
instead of at the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
on March 25 ; it therefore at an early date became
part of the group of Christmas plays.

There is practically nothing in this drama which is
at all significant in relation to the English plays ; the
version in Luke, the version in the liturgical play, and
the version in the English plays, are practically identical.
There is, however, in the English plays some evidence
that liturgical dramas were the sources of the Annun
ciation and Visitation plays ; for instance, in Ch. I. 1-4
Gabriel's salutation is not the Ave Maria from Luke, but
the Church canticle Ave Maria, composed from the
salutations of Gabriel and Elizabeth as recorded in
Luke. Again, in Ch. I. 69-112 and C. III. 81-126 we
find the Church canticle, Magnificat, with the Gloria Patri

xiv Introduction

at the end, a singular anachronism, to be explained
only on the supposition that the author was careless in
copying part of the Church liturgy. The fact that
the only surviving liturgical drama does not contain
these two errors is, of course, not at all significant,
for it seems likely that the normal liturgical drama
would follow the Church liturgy more closely
than the Scripture. Owing to the nature of the
case, and the impossibility of much variation in
this narrative, such evidence as I have quoted seems
quite significant. It also seems significant that
with the exception of the Coventry plays, written by
a very erudite man, none of the liturgical or ver
nacular plays include any of the details given in the
Apocryphal gospels of the circumstances attending
the Annunciation— the daily appearance of angels to
Mary, her going to the well with her water-pot, etc.
J We have seen in the Shepherds' Play that the adop
tion of the Apocryphal version was largely due to
the appearance of the midwives in the liturgical drama ;
it seems quite as probable that the absence of Apoc
ryphal details in the Annunciation play is due to
their absence in the liturgical play, where there was
no such need of them as there was of the midwives
in the Pastor es.

We have now gone about as far as possible in
tracing the relation of the vernacular to the liturgical
play. It would be satisfactory, for the sake of com
pleteness, if we could find any direct evidence to
prove that there were liturgical plays on the subject
of Joseph's trouble, which were the originals of the
vernacular Joseph plays. For the possible relation
of these plays to certain dialogues in the works of
the Church Fathers, see note to C. II. 25 ff. Since all
these dialogues are in sermons preached at the Feast

The History and Development of the Nativity Plays xv

of the Annunciation, it is possible that they did de
velop into liturgical dramas in the same way that the
pseudo-Augustinian sermon on the prophets did. Of
such dramas, however, there is no record, and, until
some record is found, we must admit that it is quite
as probable that these vernacular plays are merely
expansions of the verses on Joseph's trouble in Matt. 1.

There is one great and highly important change from
the tradition of the liturgical drama which evidently /
occurred early in the history of the vernacular drama.
This is the division of the Officium Pastorum into two
parts, a Nativity play and a Shepherds' play. This di
vision appears even in the Chester cycle, where there
is none between the other Christmas plays. In the
Towneley cycle the Nativity play was omitted.

In order to make two plays, much, new material Jhad
to be introduced: in the Nativity play the source of
this material was the Apocryphal Gospels, in the
Shepherds' play the matter is new, and consists of
realistic descriptions of the life of the shepherds on V
the hills.

Little need be said about the result in the English
Nativity play ; the plays speak for themselves. The
miracles on the way to Bethlehem, the semi-theo
logical discussions on the miraculous birth, the not
very beautiful midwife story, all these are interesting
and curious, but detract greatly from the charm, and
eliminate almost entirely the religious fervor and
devotion which are the chief literary glory of the
tale. The York Nativity Play, which follows the
simple Scripture narrative, is a notable exception. This
play is marked throughout by the deepest and most
tender feeling ; one of the most beautiful scenes in
dramatic literature is Mary's adoration of the child in
this play, her mingled love and awe, her joy in show-

xvi Introduction

ing the child to Joseph, their kneeling together to
worship him, and the description of the beasts kneel
ing on either side of the manger, and keeping the
child warm with their warm breath.

The new material introduced into the Shepherds'
play is not only interesting, and often good in itself,
but is also important in the history of the English
drama as furnishing the first comedy. The emphasis
and centre of interest has shifted ; it is no longer
the manger and the adoration-scene which hold the
center of the stage, but the life, the games, the quar
rels, the jokes, and the hardships of the shepherds
before the angel appears to them. The scene in
the stable is, of course, preserved, and is often very
beautiful in itself, but it generally holds a decidedly
secondary place, and at times seems to be retained
merely out of respect to convention. The Towneley
dramatist, after writing the Mak interlude, although
he was enough of an artist to write a good ado
ration-scene, nevertheless seems to have had little
interest in it, and used material from the preceding play.

There seem to have been certain traditional hu
morous episodes for Shepherds' Plays which have sur
vived in different cycles. For instance in the
Chester and Coventry Shepherds' Plays we have
the shepherds trying to imitate the Angel's song; in
Ch. II and T. Ill we have descriptions of a grotesque
meal; the impudent shepherd boy appears in both
Ch. II and T. Ill, and the shrewish wife element
appears not only in the Mak interlude but also in
Ch. II and T. III. The fact that all these stock ele
ments of humor appear in the Chester play might
tend to show that instead of their being all derived
from some parent cycle, the other Shepherds' Plays, and
particularly the Towneley Prima Pastorum, are borrowed

The History and Development of the Nativity Plays xvii

from the Chester play. The fact that the prophet-
element, present in all the others, is absent in the
Chester play, would show, however, that there was
some other general influence. The shepherd's com
plaint, common to all cycles, is so frequent in all
Middle English literature that its presence in the
mysteries is not at all significant: see note on
T. IV. 1 if.

The clever dramatist who contributed the two Shep
herds' plays to the Towneley cycle transcended the
work of all the others. The famous Mak interlude
in T. IV is perhaps the best farce in English literature;
it could hardly be improved in plot, in construction,
or in characterization. But in minor details also, this
dramatist shows his great ability. Notice particularly
in the scene in T. IV. 201 if., where Mak enters, the
perfect picture of the gullible shepherds made nervous
by Mak when he pretends that he is an ambassador
from a great lord. But even if the Mak interlude had
never been written, the description of the strife be
tween Gyb and John Home in T. III. 100 ff. would
have made the Towneley dramatist's fame as a hu
morist.

The Annunciation and Visitation plays in the Eng
lish cycles call for little comment. All of them follow
very closely the Scriptural story as it is given in the
liturgical dramas. The Coventry Annunciation and
Visitation have added to the simple story much theo
logy and a mediaeval interpretation of the story from
Cardinal Bonaventura of Padua, but, as we shall see
later, the original dramas seem to have been as simple
as those in the other cycles, and remain in the remod
eled plays as the foundation of the plot.

The Joseph plays, we have seen, are the only ones
which probably do not come from liturgical dramas.

b

xviii Introduction

In general, these plays are merely realistic pictures
of the grief and anger of a man who discovers, or
thinks that he discovers, that his wife has been false
to him. It is interesting to compare the different
ideas of our four dramatists as to what Joseph's state
of mind would be. The Chester dramatist does not
seem to be at all interested in any such psychological
question, and although he does use the episode as a
conventional bit of the Christmas story, he dismisses
it in a few lines and goes on to matter of greater
interest to him. The Coventry dramatist gives us a
long and unpleasant play on the subject; Joseph is
unnecessarily coarse of speech and angry in heart;
there seems also to be more or less tendency to
use him as the traditionally humorous cuckold.
This play, however, is superior to the Chester and
York plays in that it does succeed in giving us a
real character, although an unpleasant one. The York
play is longer than the Chester, but no more real.
The dramatist covers more space by making
Joseph relate, quire gratuitously, the story of his
betrothal to Mary, by introducing the popular Middle
English c Old Man's Lament,' and by making Joseph
ask five times who the child's father is. There
is no characterization, and no form, to the York play.
The Towneley Joseph Play (written as part of the
Annunciation, T. I. 155-373) is by far the best of all.
Joseph is a very real and lovable old man; one
sympathizes with him all the more because he is so
tender and loving toward Mary, and his grief seems
all the greater, because it is unmixed with anger. The
story of the betrothal, so miserably managed in
the York play, is one of the most charming features
of the Towneley. Joseph in his lonely grief becomes
reminiscent, and most naturally in his soliloquy recalls

The Chester Plays xix

how he met Mary and how they were 'weddyd thus
togedre.'

We have now analyzed the general characteristics
of the Christmas plays, and have considered the
development of these characteristics. There are, however,
parts of the plays which we have not touched upon
at all, the scenes in Rome in Ch. I, the scene in
heaven in C. I, the prologue to T. I, and the monologues
of Contemplation in C. I and III. These may all be
regarded as resulting from idiosyncrasies, as attempts
of the several dramatists to elaborate and ornament their
plays. The sources of these passages are given in
notes ; their significance in relation to other problems
will appear later ; but they are of little significance or
importance in considering the general history and
development of the Christmas plays. Yet it
should be noted that the occurrence of the same
themes in continental mysteries — the Octavien scenes
in the Old French Mystere du Viel Testament, and the
Mercy and Truth prologue in the Italian Annunciation
(d'Ancona 1. 182) — shows that the use of this material
in mystery plays was not original with the English
dramatists, although they generally took their material
from the original sources, and not from continental
mysteries (see p. 25).

6. THE CHESTER PLAYS

A. Their Authorship and Date.

Ch. I and II present some evidence as to the identity
of their author, and therefore as to their date. The
fact that this internal evidence is fully in accord with
the external in the man to whom it points, strengthens

b2

xx Introduction

materially the theory that the Chester plays were
written by Randall or Ranulf Higden, a monk of St.
Werburgh's, Chester, who took the vows in 1298 and
died in 1364, and whose chief claim to fame has
hitherto been the authorship of the Polychronicon.

Mr. E. K. Chambers (Mediaeval Stage 2. 348-356)
has discussed in full the external evidence for Higden's
authorship; for details the student is referred to his
work. In order to present a complete case I shall
give a brief summary of Mr. Chambers' conclusions,
and then proceed to present the internal evidence
which I have come upon in studying the sources
of these plays.

There are four sixteenth- and five seventeenth-
century manuscripts of proclamations and bans, be
sides manuscripts H and h of the plays, containing
notes on the date and authorship of the Chester plays.
From these notes we learn that the plays were written
by Don Randle or Rondall (the later manuscripts add the
name Higden or Heggenet), that Sir John Arneway was
mayor of Chester when the plays were given, that
Clement was pope, and that Sir Henry Francis obtained
from the pope a thousand days' pardon for all those who
attended the plays. Mr. Chambers has identified all
these persons. Higden was a monk at St. Wer
burgh's from 1299-1364; Sir Henry Francis is menti
oned in 1377, and again in 1382, as senior monk of
Chester ; Clement VI was pope from 1342-1352.
For a long time the chief argument against the
credibility of this evidence was the mention in all the
manuscripts of Sir John Arneway as mayor, for Sir John
was mayor before either Higden or Francis was born.
Mr. Chambers, however, has discovered that in
Higden's time there was a mayor with a similar name,
Richard Erneis or Herneys, and he suggests that it

The Chester Plays xxi

is quite possible that this man's name became confused
with that of his more famous predecessor, i the " Dick
Whittington" of the city, John Arneway or Hernwey.'

The chief difficulty with this evidence, of course,
is that it all appears in such late manuscripts — the
earliest being two hundred years later than the plays
— and that in this space of time it would be most
natural for legend to have fathered the plays upon
the most famous monk of Chester, the author of the
Polychronicon. If, however, we find the same material
taken from the same sources in both the plays and
the Polychronicon, if that material is rather unusual,
and if we find in the plays references which Higden
would be apt to make, the external evidence is some
what strengthened. Of course all this will not make
the evidence conclusive ; for the use of the same sources
might merely show to what books the monks of St.
Werburgh's had access ; the author of the plays may
merely have interested Higden in the material he was
using, or vice versa ; and the source of all the external
evidence we have may be the very internal evidence
that I am about to present — that is, some sixteenth-
century scholar, noticing the resemblance between the
plays and the history, may have asserted dogmatically
that Higden wrote the plays also. The cumulative
circumstantial evidence is, however, quite convincing,
and the probability certainly lies on the side of Higden' s
authorship. I trust that further study into the sources
of the other plays, a task which I have not yet had
an opportunity of undertaking, may result in the dis
covery of further evidence.

In examining the many mediaeval versions of the Oct-
avian-Sibyl myth and the Temple of Peace myth, which
form so large a part of Ch. I, I came to the conclusion
that in five places the direct source of the Chester

xxii Introduction

version was in the Supputationes of Martinus Polonus
(see notes to Ch. I. 201-208, 304-375, 348, 647-701,
714 — 715), and that the Temple of Peace myth came
from Alexander Neckam (see note to Ch. I. 575-620).
A few weeks later, in reading Higden's Polychronicon,
I discovered that in Bk. 4, chap. 3, he quotes Martinus
as his source for the same legends to which I have
referred, and in Bk. 3, chap. 44, quotes Neckam as
his source for the description of the Temple of Peace
and the other Virgilian myths which he quotes. (In
the passages of the Polychronicon which deal with the
matter included in 11. 647-701 and 714-715, Higden
quotes the Policratica 3.14, and not Martinus, but the
two versions are practically identical.)

The versions in the plays and in the Polychronicon
differ considerably in detail, but all differences are
easily explicable on the ground that the two works
are of so different a nature. The accounts in the
Polychronicon are condensed, and often seem to be
mere bibliographical references ; those in the plays
are naturally expanded and elaborated. There is one
rather material change in Ch. I. 352-375, in the pro
phecy of the Sibyl. In Martinus and the Polychronicon
the prophecy of the Erythraean Sibyl is put into the
mouth of the Tiburtine Sibyl; in the play this error
is corrected, and the prophecy is evidently improvised.
The reason for this, however, is not far to seek ; it
is probably not a conscious correction, but a means
of avoiding what would have been a very difficult
task, the translation of Latin acrostic verse into Eng
lish acrostic verse, for if left in Latin it would mean
little to the audience. Why in the plays the devil
is said to have built the temple, and in the Poly
chronicon and Neckam Virgil is the artificer, is not quite
so clear. It may have been due, again, to the different

The Chester Plays xxiii

nature of the works : in Neckam and the Polychronicon
the temple is merely mentioned as one of the long
list of magical devices created by Virgil; in the play
the interest is not in Virgil, and all that the spectator
needs to know is that it was built by magic. The
devil would signify much more to the audience at
a mystery play, than would Virgil.

The evidence in Ch. II of Higden's authorship is
very slight, and in itself of no significance. It con
sists merely of a few references to Lancashire (cf.
notes to Ch. II. 117, 120.) One of the few facts known
about Higden's life is that he was in some way con
nected with Lancashire.

Summary. According to a tradition preserved in
nine sixteenth- and seventeenth-century manuscripts
the Chester plays were written by Randall Higden,
a monk of Chester, in the first half of the fourteenth
century ; chance references to other unimportant per
sons in these manuscripts can be verified, and the
persons referred to identified, indicating that the trad
ition is an ancient one. A comparison of one of the
plays with Higden's Polychronicon shows that the same
material was used in both, and was drawn from the
same sources. In another play we find perfectly
gratuitous references to Lancashire, a county with which
Higden was familiar. The whole trend of evidence
points one way — to Higden's authorship, and the date
1328 given in MS. H is a most natural one for their
composition.1

1 Cf. Gayley, Plays of Our Forefathers, p. 130, for additional
testimony to an early date, based on the general style of the
plays.

zxiv Introduction

B. Supposed French Influence.

Whether or not the internal evidence presented above
succeeds in determining the authorship of the plays,
it is of great importance in throwing light on the old
problem as to how much the Chester plays are in
debted to French originals. The popular theory has
always been that they are little more than translations
or adaptations of some French play that is now lost,
and the Nativity Play has always been used as one
one of the strongest pieces of evidence.

There are four characteristics of Ch. I which are
supposed to point directly toward France. They are :

1. The structure of the play. There are no di
visions between the Annunciation, Visitation, Joseph,
and Nativity Plays, a characteristic of all Old
French plays, and not common in England.

2. The Roman scenes. None of the other English
plays include the Octavian-Sibyl or Temple of
Peace scenes. The Old French Mystere du Viel
Testament includes the former, and the Mystere
de la Nativite describes the fall of a statue of
Jupiter which it had been prophesied would stand
* donee virgo pariat.'

3. The language is full of French forms and deriv
atives. Octavian makes a speech in French,
as do Herod, the Magi, and Pilate in later plays.

4. The first midwife's name is Tebel, as it always
is in Old French versions, not Zelomi, as in the
English plays and in the Apocryphal Gospels.

Despite these somewhat striking resemblances, I am
not inclined to believe that the French influence was
particularly strong, or at any rate that the Chester
dramatist followed slavishly the conventions of French
plays, or borrowed directly from the latter. A few

The Chester Plays xxv

general principles should be borne in mind. First, it
should be remembered that a very small proportion
of either English or French mysteries is extant. It
is hardly safe, therefore, to make dogmatic assertions
about what the general type of either must have been.
Refutation of the first argument for French influence
is easier if we bear this in mind. Although the subject-
matter of the English Nativity plays is more split up
in the other three complete cycles, we find in the
Coventry Pageant of the Shearmen and Taylors, which
is essentially an English play, the same absence of
division into separate plays as in the Chester Nativitiy.
In other words, out of the five extant English Nativ
ity plays, three are divided into separate plays, and
two consist of single undivided plays. Moreover, in
the Chester plays there is a division between the
Nativity and Shepherds' Plays, a division which never j
appears in the French plays, and which is also lack- j
ing in the obviously English Coventry Pageant. Not
much weight can therefore be given to the argument
from the structure of the plays.

The second general principle to be borne in mind
is that the inheritance of the church was the same
in both countries, and that the material adaptable for
Nativity plays was necessarily small. The appearance
of the Octavian-Sibyl myth in plays of both countries
does not necessarily show any connection between
them, therefore. But it is just here that the study
of the sources of the Chester plays and of Higden's
connection with them is of great importance. Whether
or no Higden was the author of the plays matters
little here ; the important thing is that he, who was at
least a contemporary of the author and lived in the
same abbey with him, quotes non-French authors as
his sources for the same legends as appear in the

xxvi Introduction

plays. His quotation of the sources proves beyond
reasonable doubt what the sources of the Chester plays
were; for they agree in every case with what in
dependent investigation would select as the sources.
Moreover, after studying the many mediaeval versions
of these myths, one is more impressed with the differ
ences between the English and French versions than
with the resemblances.

The third argument is as easily overthrown. Strange
ly enough, Higden himself gives a satisfactory ex
planation of the French tone of the language. In the
Polychronicon (1.59) he informs us that in his time
' uplandish ' men would liken themselves to gentlemen
by busy efforts to speak French. All that need be
said about the appearance of French forms, therefore,
is that they were used to give an air of refinement
to the plays. The language of the English court
during the 14th century was still French. The only
parts of the Chester Plays written entirely in French
are speeches of kings and emperors, evidently in
serted for the sake of local color.

The argument from the name of the first midwife can
be readily answered. In the two accounts of the birth of
Christ which quote Bartholomew as their source, i. e. in
this play and in the Golden Legend, the name Tebel
or Zebel occurs. It is a natural inference, therefore,
that the form Tebel comes from Bartholomew (see
notes to Ch. I. 528 and 568). Even in the different
manuscripts of Pseudo-Matthew the name Zelomi assu
mes various forms, one coming as close to Zebel as Zahel.
But the form Zebel is not confined to French litera
ture (see note to 528). The only conclusion, therefore,
that we may draw from the appearance of this name
is that the Chester dramatist was following Pseudo-
Bartholomew, and the Coventry dramatist Pseudo-Matthew.

The Chester Plays xxvii

The French influence on the Chester dramatist, I
am inclined to believe, was no stronger than upon
any other educated and cultivated man of the time.
The tradition recorded in MS. H, which in discussing
the authorship problem we have seen is probably
trustworthy, tells us that the author went thrice to
Rome to obtain permission to give the plays. If this
is true, he must, in those days of leisurely travel, have
seen much of French life and customs, and perhaps
also of French mysteries. The inclusion of the Ro
man legendary element in his Nativity play may even
be due to his having seen it in some French Nativity ;
but he took his material from the Englishman Neckam,
and from the churchman Martinus, and not from
French literature.

Davidson's theory that the plays were originally
in Anglo-Norman is based upon the remark in MS.
H that Higden went to Rome to obtain permission
to give the plays in the English tongue. This might
better be interpreted as distinguishing between litur
gical and vernacular dramas.

C. General Literary Characteristics.
The value of the Chester plays lies rather in their
matter than in their form ; they are interesting rather
for the problems they present than for any literary
excellence. The Expositor's story of the Temple of
Peace, the best constructed part of our two plays,
shows that the author was a better story-teller than
dramatist. His powers of realistic description were
not of a low order, either ; the Shepherds' Play, although
as a whole a shapeless mass, countains much effec- ,
tive detail, which was used later by a real dramatist ^
in the Towneley Prima Pastorum. Joseph's argument
with the ' Preco ' is also a good bit of realism. The

xxviii Introduction

Chester dramatist shows himself a better translator
and versifier than any of our other three dramatists.
The Ave Maria in Ch. I retains much of its original
beauty, which is quite lost in the limping verse of Y.,
the rambling style of C., and the elaboration of T.
Let me remark in passing that a comparison of these
scenes in the four cycles is to my mind strong evid
ence against, rather than for, the existence of a parent
cycle from which all are derived (cf. Davidson, Engl.
Mysteries, pp. 157ff.).

Having granted the Chester dramatist these points
of excellence, we can go no farther. He is lacking
in most of the essential characteristics of a good
dramatist. He has no great interest in his characters
except from the outside, no vicarious ability, no power
of portraying the feelings and inner natures of his
j men and women, and no deep feeling of his own.
As illustrations of these deficiencies we need only
compare the Joseph and Mary dialogues of Ch. and
T., or the Nativity scenes of Ch. and Y.

The general impression one obtains of the Chester
dramatist is that he was a man of cosmopolitan tastes
and learning, interested in both sacred and profane
literature, less of a schoolman than he of Coventry,
endowed with some literary ability, but that not dra
matic, a spectator of life rather than a philosopher,
with a mind active but not deep ; on the whole, a rather
delightful and interesting, though superficial personality.

7. THE COVENTRY PLAYS

A. The Problem of their Origin.

The so-called Coventry plays differ from the other
English cycles in the following particulars: (1) there

The Coventry Plays xxix

is no credible authority for assigning them to any
particular locality ; (2) they were apparently not acted
by town crafts or guilds, for no guild name is men
tioned in connection with any of the plays; (3) they
are full of mediaeval theology and scholasticism.

The legend concerning these plays, from which
they have taken their name, is that they were acted
by the Grey Friars of Coventry. At first glance the
evidence in favor of this legend seems strong, and
one is strongly tempted to accept it, as it
fits in so admirably with the nature of the plays,
with their ecclesiastical flavor, and with the fact that
they form the only extant cycle which is not a craft-
cycle. Investigation has shown, however, that despite
its attractiveness, we are not justified in accepting
the evidence, for it seems to have arisen entirely be
cause of its attractiveness.

The first man to ascribe these plays to the friars
of Coventry was Dr. Richard James, librarian to Sir
Robert Cotton, who bought the manuscript, and prob
ably derived his information, from Robert Hegge of
Durham, a C.C.C. Oxford man, and the first recorded
owner of the manuscript. Hegge died in 1630, and
the manuscript then passed into Cotton's hands (see
Chambers, Med. Stage 2. 419). James, however, does
not say that the cycle is Ludus Coventrice, but ' vulgo
dicitur Ludus Coventrice,' and Hegge himself had merely
written on the manuscript : Theplaie called Corpus Christi.
Moreover, James made one serious blunder which alone
would weaken his testimony, for he refers to the plays
as including merely ' Contenta Novi Testament!.' The
process of James' reasoning is easy to trace : it
is quite evident both from this and other testimony
that the friars of Coventry were accustomed to give
mystery plays ; James, chancing upon a cycle that bore

xxx Introduction

the name of no town nor craft, and that was unusu
ally full of theology, decided that this probably was
the cycle. Not having the modern scholarly spirit, he
asserted that they were the plays he thought they were,
not merely that he thought so. In referring to them as
plays on the New Testament he showed that he had
not read them carefully, and that he had confused
with the friars' plays the craft-plays of Coventry, which
probably did contain only New Testament material.1
The next piece of evidence, based largely on James,
is in Dugdale's History of Warwickshire, 1656, where
he says on James' authority that these are the plays
played by the Grey Friars of Coventry. He does
give us, however, more evidence of the fact that the
Grey Friars did give some plays, for he says that
old men of the town told him in his youth of the
great crowds of people they, in their youth, had seen
flocking to the plays given by the friars. This infor
mation has been too much doubted. It is true that the
monasteries were closed in 1538, and that Dugdale
was not born until 1605; it has therefore been asser
ted that the plays the old men referred to were the
craft-plays, which were not discontinued until 1580.
I am inclined to believe, however, that Dugdale knew
whereof he spake. In the first place there would be
nothing particularly remarkable in having seen people
that remembered things that happened only twenty-
five years before his birth, and he would hardly
emphasize the fact that in his youth old men told him
about them. In the second place, it is by no means im
possible that he is telling the literal truth. Notice that
he does not say that the old men described the plays
to him or really remembered them at all, but merely

The extant plays of this cycle, referred to on p. 1, are pub
lished by the EETS., Ex. Ser. 87.

The Coventry Plays xxxi

that they remembered the crowds and their excitement.
I personally recall having had described to me, as
a child, by my grandmother, a similar event, which
occurred over sixty years before I was born, and of
which she was an eye-witness at the age of five. Of
course, Dugdale's testimony proves nothing about
our plays, but it does to me give satisfactory proof of
the fact that the Grey Friars of Coventry gave some
plays.

The Coventry Annals for 1492, which unfortunately
were written in the 17th century, mention the
fact that in that year the Grey Friars played before
the king.

In addition to the destructive criticism of the Cov
entry myth, which has proved entirely that the
external evidence is not to be relied on, in so far as
it tries to prove that these are the plays written and
presented by the friars, there has been also construc
tive criticism, which supports the destructive. Ten
Brink (2.283) has shown that the dialect of these
plays is Northeast Midland, and that therefore it is
linguistically impossible that they should have come
originally from Coventry.

There is one rather ambiguous bit of information
contained in the general prologue to the plays,
which should be mentioned before we go further. At
the close of the Prologue are these lines :

A Sunday next, yf that we may,
At vj. of the belle we gynne oure play
In N. towne, wherfore we pray
That God be goure spede. Amen.

From this it has been argued that the plays were given
by strolling players, the 4N.' of CN. towne7 standing
for Nomen (as in the church marriage service), to be
filled in as the case required.

xxxii Introduction

Chambers suggests that the CN.' may stand for
4 Norwich ' (or presumably for any other Northrast Mid
land town beginning with N. whose name would fit the
metre), and that this advertisement was merely sent
around to the surrounding villages. Hohlfeld (Anglia
11) thinks they may have originally been played by
Coventry friars, and then by a company of strolling
players, the craft-plays of Coventry having driven
the friars' plays out of business. Gayley (Plays of our
Forefathers, p. 136) has recently offered a more
suggestive theory. He proposes the idea that these
are the lost plays of the Lincoln cycle, which we
know was similar, in that it contained many plays
on the life of the Virgin, and that afterward they
were used by a company of strolling players.

I call Gayley's theory suggestive, not that I agree
with it in detail, for it seems to share with Chambers'
the fault of trying to be altogether too specific, con
sidering the small amount of material they had to
work from, but that it recognizes the composite nature
of the cycle, and the fact that the Prologue is not
entirely in accord with the plays themselves.

My own theory I will state here, and present some
of the evidence in detail in the next section. After
analyzing the plays and studying the sources, I am
led to believe that the original plays did not contain
the theological element, but were very similar to the
other English plays. They may have been craft-plays
which later fell into the hands of strolling players,
or more probably they were originally written for
a traveling company. The prologue was written for
this original cycle ; we shall see later that the omissions
in the prologue are always of the theological additions,
and that in reading the prologue one would not
realize that these plays differed markedly from other

The Coventry Plays xxxiii

English mysteries. After a time this cycle fell into
the hands of an ecclesiastic who added the theology,
and left the prologue as it was (with one omission ;
see first note on C. III). Whether or not this eccle
siastic was of Coventry we have no, means of dis
covering. The fact that the friars of Coventry are the
only ecclesiastics of England who are at least rumored
to have given plays, adds some credibility to James' and
Dugdale's theory. The objection from dialect is strong,
but not insurmountable, for it is quite probable
that the work of revision may have been done by a
northern man. I have retained the name " Coventry '
for the plays, instead of using ;N. town' as Gayley
suggests, or ; Hegge,' as does Hone ; for there is more
reason for connecting them with Coventry than with
any other town. c N. town ' seems awkward, and ' Hegge '
inconsistent with the nomenclature of the other plays.

B. Their Composite Nature.

In the preceding paragraph I have said that the Cov
entry plays are composed of two elements : first, the
simple, typical, realistic English mystery play, and
secondly, theological and scholastic amplifications and
adornments. The second element is drawn entirely
from the works of the fourteenth century Cardinal
Bonaventura of Padua. l particularly from his Medi-
tationes Vitce Christi: sometimes the translation is ver-
Ixftitti. The sources are quoted in the notes, and are,
I think; indisputable.

The Bonaventura element is most distinct and un
mixed in the first 214 lines of C. I, and the two
Contemplacion monologues of C. III. It is quite
significant that no mention is made of the first 214

1 Generally confused with St. Bonaventura, with whose works
those of our Cardinal are published.

xxxiv Introduction

lines of C. I in the prologue (see first note on C. I),
and that the prologue for C. Ill is omitted entirely.
The reviser evidently thought it not worth while to
change the Prologue for C. I, as it still described in
outline the last part of the play ; but when he came
to C. Ill it was a different matter, for he had in his
additions given quite a different version of the story
from that in the original play. He therefore omitted
the prologue for C. Ill entirely.

C. Ill offers the most striking evidence of the
composite nature of the plays. We can trace in
this play the simplest form of mystery play in the
almost liturgical scene of the singing of the Mag
nificat, then the true English realism in the opening
scene, the journey to 'Montana,' and finally the
monologues. The fact that the removal of these mono
logues would result in improving not only the dramatic
unity, but even the consistency of the plays, is strong
evidence that they were added as a display of erudition.
No man in sitting down to write a play with such
a simple plot could succeed in giving such contra
dictory versions in a few lines. The story as we
have it in the play proper is the conventional one,
except that the character of Joseph has been added.
Mary and Joseph go together to see Elizabeth; there
is some humorous by-play about Zachary's dumbness ;
then Elizabeth and Mary sing the canticles, and Mary
and Joseph go home. After their departure, Con-
templacion comes forward and gives us Bonaventura's
version. This naturally follows the Scriptural account,
and relates that Mary stayed three months. This
three months' visit being impossible to represent on
the stage, it was always omitted in mystery plays, in
cluding C., as we have seen. Contemplacion, however,
describes how during the three months Mary served

The Coventry Plays xxxv

Elizabeth, was present at the birth of John, and kissed
him before she left. She finally describes how Zachary
sang the Benedictus, and how the Church canticles
were composed, finally indulging in a rhapsody on the
blessedness of such a house in holding such inmates.
All this matter, it is quite evident, is foreign to the
spirit of mystery plays, and inconsistent with this
particular play. LI. 147-149 (see Variants and note)
would suggest that there was an attempt to combine
two distinct versions of this play into the one which
we have. The absence of any notice of the play in
the prologue may thus be accounted for.

It is impossible to say how much of the original
play has survived in C. I. We have seen that the
first 214 lines are late additions, but whether the
Salutation Play proper was entirely rewritten, or merely
ornamented with Bonaventuran theology, one cannot
say. The main outline of that story could hardly be
changed, and although the prologue describes the
Salutation as it stands in our version, I think it prob
able that the whole play is a substitution for an
earlier and simpler one.

The Joseph Play remains, I believe, in practically
its original form. Here was a great chance for an
ecclesiastic to work in some of his learning; but the
reviser does not seem to have used his opportunity,
and has left us a long and coarse realistic play — one,
however, which reflects the layman rather than the
churchman.

The Nativity and Shepherds' Plays seem to be largely
in their original form, as far as we can judge from
the prologues, The remark in 1. 1 of the prologue
to the Shepherds' Play (see first note to C. V) probably
means simply 'Christ shall have been born.' The
opening scenes of the Nativity Play are in the same

c2

xxxvi Introduction

style as the Joseph Play, and the midwife-element is
one of the oldest in all the mysteries. The Coventry
Nativity Play has been left in its original form in every
detail, so far as we can see.

The tone of the Shepherds' Play diifers from the
realistic parts of the other plays of this cycle and
from the Shepherds' Plays of the other cycles. Some
of the stock material of Shepherds' plays remains, how
ever — the attempt to imitate the angel's song, the
singing on the way to Bethlehem, &c. There is far
more dignity and reverence in the description of the
shepherds' visit than we generally find ; their salutation-
lyrics are in very conventional Middle English verse,
without much feeling, but very proper : the prophecies
are made a rather conspicuous part of the play,
and in the first few lines there is a gratuitous
reference to the seven sacraments. These latter
characteristics point toward the pedant who in
troduced the Bonaventuran element, although we do
still find elements of the realistic play. The Shepherds'
Play was therefore, I think, rewritten by the reviser,
who still retained in his altered version some elements
of the earlier one.

In order to distinguish between what I regard as
practically certain and what I regard as merely pro
bable, let me sum up my conclusions. I think it in
dubitable that the first part of the Coventry Annun
ciation (C. I. 1—214), the Contemplacion-monologues
in the Visitation (C. III. 23-42 and 164-200), and also
C. III. 147-149, are late additions. The evidence is
almost equally strong that all of the Annunciation Play
has been rewritten, parts of the old plays being perhaps
used in such passages as 235—256. As to the
composition of the other plays, I have only suggested
what seemed probable to me personally.

/'///• Coventry Plays xx>. vii

C. Date and Authorship.

There is no direct evidence of any kind by which
the date or authorship of this cycle can be deter
mined. Gayley would date the ecclesiastical portions
at about the first half of the fifteenth century, and assign
the simpler portions, as bearing a close resemblance
to the liturgical drama, to an earlier period. Our
investigations into the sources of the ecclesiastical
portions confirm the approximate correctness of the
former date. Bonaventura wrote the Meditationes in
1376 (see Fabricius, Bibliotheca Eccles. Auctarium de
Script. 442), the version in the plays is based upon
an earlier English translation (see note to C. I. 1-186):
it is therefore probable that the version in our plays
did not appear before 1400.

Chambers (Med. Stage 2. 145) cites a rumor that Lyd-
gate. the famous monk of Bury, was the author of these
plays. This rumor seems to have arisen from the fact
that Ritson (Bibl. Poet., p. 79), following Bishop Tanner,
includes in the list of Lydgate's works a l Procession of
pageants from the creation ', which has never been iden
tified. If this is the only evidence (and I have been able
to find no other), it is of course of no value whatever.
It is interesting to note, however, that Lydgate inclu
des the allegory of Mercy and Truth in his Life of Our
Lady, that the date of his life (1370P-1450?) would
harmonize with the date of the ecclesiastical portions
of the plays, that there is another unconfirmed rumor
that he studied at Padua, (if he did he would prob
ably have been there just after the heroic death of
Cardinal Bonaventura, who fell fighting as a ' defensor
ecclesiasticae libertatis ' in 1389) and that he translated
the not widely known hymn Stella cceli extirpavit, which
is referred to in C. V (see note to C. V. 77). All

xxxviii Introduction

this, however, does not amount to evidence of Lyd-
gate's authorship, but is given in the hope that it
may prove useful when the evidence for the rumor
quoted by Chambers is discovered.

D. Their Literary Value.

There is little to add concerning the literary value
of the Coventry plays ; much has been implied in the
former sections. Their chief defects lie in their lack
of form, and in their burden of pedantic learning. Their
chief excellence lies in the realismTof the Joseph Play,
and the opening scenes of the Visitation and Nativity
Plays. The realism of the Joseph Play is unpleasant,
but the character-drawing and rough strength of the
play stand out sharply when compared with the
average Joseph play. These plays possess more than
the others the false value of ' quaintness and naivete,7
the two characteristics for which all mystery plays
are unfortunately, but sometimes deservedly, famous.

Credit should be granted to the ecclesiastic who
translated or paraphrased the Bonaventuran element
for his comparative skill as a translator, and such
credit should be withheld from the wretched trans
lator of the Magnificat.

In style and finish the ecclesiastic was superior ; in
feeling and knowledge of mankind, the earlier layman.
Curiously enough, the man of learning, although the
possessor of a fairly good style and some ability in
the technique of verse-making, lacked the sense of
form; and the uneducated layman, without style or
technical ability of any sort, seemed to possess nat
urally much more feeling, and a rough sense of form.

The York Plays xxxix

8. THE YORK PLAYS

The York plays, though of considerable importance
in the study of English mystery plays, are by far the
least interesting, both intrinsically and in the lack of
any problems connected with them. This cycle is
the most complete English cycle ; there is much in
formation concerning it still extant in contemporary
town records, &c., and the plays are most conven
tional, and typical of the simplest form of mystery
play.

Miss Lucy Toulmin Smith, in her admirable edition
of the plays, gives detailed information about the cycle.
I shall merely quote some of the more important bits.
There is no doubt about the date of composition,
about 1350; the author is unrecorded. The plays
were given on Corpus Christi day by the crafts of
York. The author based his stories almost entire
ly on the Biblical account, once in a while adding
a detail from the Apocryphal Gospels. The/ Cursor
Mundi influenced some of the plays markedly (none
of those in this edition to any degree, however; but
see note to Y. I. 25-30 and Y. II. 72-73).

Davidson, in his exhaustive study of the metres of
this cycle, has shown that the part of Y. IV written
in the northern septenar stanza was probably written
by an earlier hand (Y. IV. 1-36). Gayley believes
that all the humorous parts were written by a later
hand than the conventional, at times almost liturgical,
parts. He thinks the humorous part of the Shepherds'
Play was written by a dramatist of what he calls the
middle period, earlier than the work of the dramatist
who, he thinks, wrote some of the plays on the Passion,
but later than the rest of our group. The lack of
material in our edition makes it impossible to discuss

xl Introduction

this question ; those interested in pursuing the investig
ation are referred to Davidson's and Gayley's work.

The York plays are important as affording a sort
of norm by which to compare and judge the other
plays. They are the simplest and closest of all to
the liturgical drama, with few extraneous accretions
and little elaboration. The absence of the midwife
and the Apocryphal Gospel element, which appears
in the extant liturgical dramas, is probably to be
accounted for by the fact that the York liturgical
drama followed the Biblical account entirely. The
only Apocryphal element in the plays of this edition
is Joseph's narrative of his betrothal, and this was
probably taken either from general tradition or from
the Cursor Mundi (see note to Y. II. 25-34). Even this
is merely a passing reference, and has not developed
into a play, as in the Coventry cycle.

The only real literary ability manifest in our plays
is in the scene of the Adoration by Mary and Joseph.
Here the writer shows depth and beauty of feeling,
which elsewhere does not relieve the limping verse
and commonplace ideas. The Joseph Play is the most
forced and ineffective of all the plays in this collection,
and the Shepherds' Play, though possessing some merit
in its realism and humor, falls below its parallels in
the other cycles.

9. THE TOWNELEY PLAYS

A. Their Name and Origin.

I have rather inconsistently retained the name
Towneley to designate these plays, for no better
reason than that, though inconsistent, it has been

The Towneley Plays >li

adopted by all previous editors, and should he arbit
rarily accepted by writers on these plays in order to
avoid confusion in reference. The name comes from the
family who owned the manuscript for many years, and
despite the efforts of Davidson and Gayley to restore
the names Woodkirk and Wakefield respectively, it
seems probable that through this manuscript the
Towneley name will be perpetuated.

There is ample evidence for assigning this cycle to
the town of Wakefield in Yorkshire, and for believing
that originally the plays were craft-plays. The manus
cript of the early plays is labeled Wakefield in one or
two places, and several of the plays have the names of
crafts attached to them. Moreover, throughout the
cycle there are references in the plays proper to
places near Wakefield (see notes to T. IV. 403 and
455). The name Woodkirk, used by Davidson, refers to
the legend that the manuscript was once owned by the
Abbey of Woodkirk, near Wakefield. This tradition
cannot be traced back further than 1814, when it is in
cluded in a bookseller's description of the manuscript.
Later, in 1883, another similar description says that it
was written by the Black Canons of Woodkirk. These
must have been the traditional beliefs of the Towneley
family, and the Surtees Society editor of the cycle
thinks that the Woodkirk theory has ' remarkably the
characteristics of genuine tradition.' The plays them
selves, however, bear no evidence of ecclesiastical
origin (compare them for example with the Coventry
plays), and if there is any truth in the legend, it
probably is merely in the fact that the abbey once
owned the manuscript. The fact that twice annually,
at the Feast of the Assumption and the Feast of the
Nativity of the Virgin, the monks of Woodkirk held
fairs in Wakefield. seems of no significance.

xlii Introduction

B. Their Composition and Date.

The four plays of the Christmas group are the work
of two distinct hands. The Annunciation and Visitation
Plays differ in spirit, in style, in verse-form, and in
vocabulary, from the two Shepherds' Plays. The latter
are evidently the work of a man who was chosen to
write also Plays 3, 16, 21, and parts of 30. All the
plays of this group are written in the same unusuaL
verse-form, reflect the same boldness of spirit and
sense of humor (or perhaps rather of boisterous fun),
arid employ the same vocabulary and word-forms.

There is general agreement regarding the approxi
mate date of this latter group, about^J^OO^ The evi
dence in favor of this date is conclusive. First there
is a reference in Play 30 to the piked head-gear worn
by women, which was introduced by Anne of Bohemia
in 1388, and which was still in use as late as 1420 (in
support of this Pollard refers to illustrations in MSS.
Harl. 2897, fol. 188 b, and Harl. 4431, fol. 2). Then
there is the evidence in the Shepherds' Plays, in the
conversation of the shepherds about the condition of
the country. Pollard suggests that this agrees with
conditions in the early part of the fifteenth century,
and that the absence of any reference to war with
France would show that the play was written no later
than Henry IV's reign. Pollard inclines to a date
near the close of Henry's reign ; to me an earlier date
seems more probable, for the tone of the shepherds
seems more in agreement with the time of the Peasants'
Revolt, and there are no references to the various
civil wars of Henry's reign, which did much to make
the peasants forget their grievances.

The Annunciation and Visitation Plays seem to belong
to another small group by a collaborator of quite

The Towneley Plays xliii

different, but equally indisputable, genius. This group
is composed of Plays 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 (T. I), 11
(T. II), 17, 23, and 28. With the theory proposed by
Pollard that this group is part of an original didactic
cycle, in so far as it distinguishes it from the rest of
the cycle, and implies an earlier date for it, I entirely
disagree. The simple structure of the Visitation Play
is the only argument in favor of this theory which
can be adduced from the plays of this edition, and
this is completely outweighed by a consideration of
the perfect finish and style of the two plays. A com
parison of the workmanship in this play, in the trans
lations of the Canticles for example, with that in the
other Visitation plays, should prove not only the great
ability of the dramatist, but also the late date of his
work.

Although the York cycle, from which several of
the Towneley plays were taken direct, had no great
influence on any of the plays of this edition, never
theless the author at times shows even here that he
was familiar with the York plays. Hohlfeld (Anglia 11)
has pointed out verbal parallels between the York and
Towneley Joseph Plays, most of which do not seem
very significant, for they can also be paralleled in the
other cycles. In the structure of the Towneley Joseph
Play, however, and in some of the incidents, we have
reminiscences of the York play. Joseph's description
of his betrothal to Mary, for example, the Towneley
dramatist has evidently borrowed from the York play,
and has succeeded in making a true poem out of a
few rough and awkward lines. Hohlfeld's verbal par
allels may in one or two instances uphold this theory,
but not much weight should be laid on their testimony.

It is not safe to draw any conclusions from the
Annunciation Play proper, for it is merely an elaborated

xliv Introduction

version of the account in Luke. The prologue to
the Annunciation, however, strangely enough bears
considerable resemblance to the Bonaventuran element
which introduces the Coventry Annunciation. It may,
of course, be argued that such resemblance does not
necessarily imply any connection, for the idea of
introducing, such a play with an explanation of the
reasons for the Incarnation is a natural one. The
fact remains, however, that the Coventry and Towneley
cycles are the only ones which do contain such an
introduction, and, moreover, that the Towneley pro
logue seems to be more or less a digest of parts of
the expanded allegorical version in C. I. Notice partic
ularly the opening of both : man has lain years in
the pains of Hell because of Adam's sin, the time of
redemption has come, but redemption must be made

Both thurgh mercy and thurgh myght,
All wyth reson and with right.

These two lines seem to sum up the idea at the basis
of the long allegory of Mercy and Truth, Righteousness
and Peace, in C. 1. The prophet-element is then intro
duced ; in C., Isaiah and Jeremiah represent the whole
array of the prophets from the Augustinian sermon,
all of whom appear in T. God then calls Gabriel,
and gives him the same instructions in both plays,
and the Annunciation Play begins. The resemblances
seem to me quite other than fortuitous, and argue a
late date for at least the prologue of T. I, 1400 being
about the earliest possible (cf. p. xxxvii on date of C.
plays).

It seems probable to me that the Annunciation and
Visitation Plays, far from being composed earlier than
the Shepherds' Plays, are at least as late as they, and
perhaps even later. There seems to be no sufficient
reason for assuming that they were not written in

If if Towncley Plays xlv

collaboration, at about the same time. The whole
burden of proof rests upon those who assert that the
plays were written at different times ; for they all show
influence of the other cycles, T. I of C. I and Y. II,
and T. Ill of Ch. II (see notes). All are written in
a much more finished style than the other cycles ; the
language of the supposedly early Annunciation and
Visitation, at least, is more modern ; the whole tone of
the plays lacks the ' quaintness ' which we find in
the other cycles, and the theory that they were written
at about the same date (and that comparatively late)
by men of very different natures, seems to harmonize
with everything that we find in the plays themselves.

C. The Towneley Plays as Literature.

The Towneley plays are the flower and consum
mation of the English Nativity drama. In natural
genius and in technique these two dramatists stand
high above their predecessors.

The dramatist of the Shepherds' Play has always justly
received his full quota of praise. The excellence of the
structure of the Mak interlude marks, of course, his great
est triumph, and he has given us the first real plot in
English dramatic literature. I have previously (p. xvii)
called attention to his ability as a humorist. Professor
Gayley has pointed out that even in the Prima Pastorum
the author, still feeling his way, has given us a dram
atic idyll, a pastoral picture, with comic motive and
dialogue, although lacking comic action, which sur
passes all that has been done before, and is surpassed
in kind only by the addition of a real plot in the
Secunda Pastorum.

I do not, however, agree with Professor Gayley in
considering the transition from the Mak interlude to
the Adoration scene a strong point of the play. To

xlvi Introduction

me the contrast is not effective as it is given ; for the
dramatist seems to lose interest, and merely from con
vention adds the last scene, which, although perfect
in verse-form und technique, lacks the sympathetic
feeling of the Prima Pastorum, where practically the
same material is used.

The only bit of appreciation of the excellence of
the work of the other Towneley dramatist which has
hitherto appeared, is praise of one detail (T. I. 269-274)
by Pollard, who very appropriately compares this
stanza with Rossetti. To me the superiority of these
plays on the Annunciation and Visitation over the
corresponding ones in the other cycles is quite as
striking as the superiority of the Towneley Shepherds'
Plays. The most noticeable improvement is in the
versification. The weak and limping line, so common
in all the other cycles, almost never appears, and
there is no awkward and unnatural arrangement of
words for the sake of metre. The thought flows
naturally along, aided rather than confined by rime
and rhythm. There are a good many run-on lines
which add to the naturalness, and in no way detract
from the music. A typical example of this excellence
of versification is in 11. 89-94:

ffor them has fonden all thyn oone
The grace of God, that was out gone

ffor Adam plyght.

This is the grace that the betydys, —
Thou shall conceyue within thi sydys

a chyld of myght.

This dramatist also shows great superiority in tech
nique over his predecessors. His excellence in form
and construction is well emphasized by a comparison
of his Joseph Play with those of the other dramatists,
particularly with the York play. The two methods
of introducing the narrative of the betrothal are typical

The Towneley Plays xlvii

of the difference between the two dramatists. In the
York play this element is dragged in without any
excuse or connection ; in the Towneley play it is one
of the most natural and effective parts of the play.
The Joseph Play also proves the dramatist's skill in
characterization. Joseph is quite as real as in the
Coventry play, and is an infinitely more attractive
personality. In drawing this character the dramatist
seems to give a hint of his own strong gentleness
and true, deep devotion.

The only flaw in this man's work is similar to the
defect we have noticed in the Secunda Pastorum. It
is again a question of transition, this time in the
Visitation Play, and it is again the transition from
original to conventional work. The first thirty lines
of this play are a charming bit of realism — the homely,
family gossip of Mary and Elizabeth — then suddenly
and without warning the dramatist bursts into a very
beautiful translation of the two glorious canticles, the
Benedicta tu in mulieribus and the Magnificat. Even if
the author had followed this general outline, which
contradicts the Scriptural account, where Elizabeth
bursts out in prophecy as soon as she sees Mary,
the dramatic effectiveness of the scene, which lies in
the spontaneity and inevitableness of the salutation,
need not have been lost. If, for example, in the
middle of a line Elizabeth had interrupted Mary with
her prophetic psalm, the play would have been saved,
but to have it introduced as an ordinary bit of the
dialogue causes a distinctly jarringfnote. Both elements
of the play in themselves are of a high order of
excellence. The translations of the canticles in particular
should be noticed, for they preserve no little of the
beauty of the original ; but the method of combining
the two elements was unfortunate.

xlviii Introduction

On the whole, however, the author of the Towneley
Annunciation and Visitation should take as high rank
as a poet as the author of the Towneley Shepherds'
Plays holds as a dramatist. This implies high praise
for both.

/ 10. CONCLUSION

The foundation of the Christmas plays of all the
cycles has been seen to consist of two simple ele
ments — a translation of the Scriptural narrative, and
a transcript of contemporary life. The one appears
for the most part in the Annunciation, Visitation and
Nativity plays, the other in the Joseph and Shepherd
plays. The York cycle shows the two in their
simplest and least elaborated form. The York dramatist
had practically no original ability (so far as we can
judge from these few plays), and very little skill
either as translator or transcriber. The Chester and
Coventry plays show an attempt to improve on the
simple York form by a multiplication of materials,
introduction of extraneous matter, and the Chester
play by an elaboration of the realistic description.
The extraneous matter in the Chester cycle reflects
cosmopolitan, secular learning ; that in the Coventry
plays,Church scholasticism. Neither succeeds in improv
ing the plays to any degree from a literary point of
view, although they add much interesting and curious
matter. The Towneley Annunciation dramatist, without
the introduction of new material, made real poetry
out of the simple matter of the York plays. The
Towneley Shepherd dramatist, by a synthetic expansion
of the realistic matter of the Chester Shepherds' Play,
and an addition of allied matter, produced the first
real English drama.

TEXT

NOTE ON TEXT AND VARIANTS
OF THE CHESTER PLAYS

My text of these plays is based on MS. D (see Int. p. 1).
Readings of the other manuscripts, when inferior to D., are
given in the Variants ; when superior they are inserted in paren
theses ( ) in the text, and D's reading is given in the Vari
ants. Brackets [ ] indicate my own emendations. When
reference to any manuscript is omitted in the Variants, it is, of
course, implied that that manuscript follows the reading in
the text.

In many cases the reading of MS. W is not certain. The
two former editors very often disagree in their readings
of W. Wright did not pretend to give a critical text, so
it is generally safer to follow Deimling. Deimling, however,
often omits reference to W entirely, thus implying that it
follows his own text, where Wright gives quite different and
often inferior readings. In the latter cases it seems probable
that Wright gives a better transcript of the original. When
Wright and Deimling agree, I refer to the reading as W;
when they disagree, I refer to Wright's reading as Wr., and
to Deimling's as Dm. It should be borne in mind that both
abbreviations, Wr. and Dm., refer only to MS. W.

THE WRIGHTES PL AYE. [33 a]

PAGINA SEXTA DE SALUTATIONE
ET NATIUITATE SALVATORIS JESU CHRISTI.

[Scene 1]

Gabriell: Hayle be thow Mary, mother free,
full of grace, god is with thee !
amongst all women blessed thow bee,
and the fruite of thy bodye.

Maria: A, lord, that sytte high in see, s

that wondrouslye now mervayles mee,
a simple mayden of my degree
bee greete this gratiously.

Gabriell: Marye, ne dread thow nought this case,

with greate god found thow hase, »<>

amongst all other, specyall grace,
Therfowr, Marye, thow mone

Conceyue and beare, I tell thee,
a childe, Jesus his name shalbe;
soo great shall never non be as hee, *s

and called gode sonne;

and our lord god, leeve thow mee,
shall give him Davyd his father's see,

The wrightes playe ] so h, The wrightes H, The wrightes and
slaters B, The wryghtes and Sklaters plaie W. After the Latin
in B and H

1 mother ] maiden H B h Dm., mother Wr. 3 amongst ] among
H B W h 5 sytte ] sitts H B W h 6 wondrouslye ] wonderly H
9 thow ] the H B W h 10 and 11 ] inverted in H 10 hase ]
haste Wr. 11 amongst ] amonge H B W h other ] wemen W
specyall] especiall Wr. 14 Jesus his name] his name Ihesu

H B W h 15 shall never non be ] shall never be none H,

shalbe never non W h 16 Gode ] Godes H B W h

6 Chester Nativity (I)

in Jacobb howse (raigne) shall hee
20 with full might evermore.

and he that shalbe borne of thee,
endlesse liffe in him shalbe,
that such renowne and ryaltye
had never non before.

35 Maria : How may this bee ? thow beast so bright ;

in synne know I not worldly wight.
Gdbryell: The holye ghoste shall in thee light
from god in maistee,

and shadowe thee seemely in sight;
30 therefore that holye one, as I have height,

that thou shalt beare through gode might,
(his)sonne shall called bee.

Elizabeth that barren was,
as thow maye see, conceyued has
35 in age a sonne, through gode grace,

the bedyll shalbe of blysse.

The sixte moneth is gone now agayne,
seeth men called her barren,
but nothinge to gode might and mayne
40 impossible is.

[33b] Maria: Now syth that god will yt soe bee,
and such grace hath sent to mee,
blessed evermore bee hee;
to please him I am payde.

19 raigne ] raynynge D 21 he ] omit h 25 ] beast ] arte
BWh 26 knowe] knewe HB Wli not J no H B W h

worldly ] wordly B 28 maistee ] magistie Wr. 30 one ]

omit H B W h height ] teight W 31 gode ] Gods H B W h

32 his ] hee D his sonne ] lesus B 35 gode ] Gods H B W h
36 bedyll ] Keydell W h 38 seeth ] sith H B W h 39 gode ]
Gods H B W h 40 impossible ] vnpossible B h 41 soe

bee ] be so W h 42 such ] suche a W h sent ] send H B h

Dm., sente Wr.

Chester Nativity (I) 7

Loe gode chosen meekelye here ! 45

and lorde god, prince of powere,
leeve that yt fall in such manere —
. this word that thow hast sayde.

Tune angelus ibit% et Maria salutabit Elizabeth.

[Scene 2]

Elizabeth, nece, god thee see!

Elizabeth: Marye, blessed mote thow bee, so

and the (fruit) that commeth of thee,
amonge women all!

wonderlye now mervayles mee
that Marye, gode mother free,
greetes mee thus of simple degree. ss

lord, how may this befall?

when thow mee greetest, sweete Marye,
the childe stirred in my bodye
for great ioye of thy companye,

and the fruite that is in thee. 60

Blessed be thow ever forthy,
that leved soe well and stedfastly!
for that was sayde to thee, ladye,
fulfilled and done shalbee.

Maria gaudens incipiet canticum ' magnificat ' &c.

46 gode] Gods H B W h chosen] cossen Wr.
Stage direction Maria ] omit H B h Dm.

49 nece] nice Wr. 60 mote] moste W, might B, mayst h
61 fruit ] fruites D commeth ] comes H B W h 64 gode ] Gods
H B W h 65 thus ] this Wr. degree ] degreey B W h, gree H
66 this ] that Wr. 67 mee ] after greetest H 58 stirred J

sturred H B h Dm., stored Wr. 62 leved ] lyued B

Stage direction gaudens ] gaudiens D, gaudentes H &c. ] anima
H, omit W h ; W adds et dicat Maria

8 Chester Nativity (1)

6s Maria : Elizabeth, therefore will I

thank the lord, kinge of mercye,
with ioyfull myrth and melody,
and laud to his likinge;

Magnificat, while I have toome,
7° anima mea dominum,

to Christe that in my kind is come,
devoutly will I singe ;

et exultavit spiritus meus in deo, &c. [Luke I. 47. J

and for my ghost ioyed hase
in god, my heal and all my grace —
75 for meekeness he see in me was,

his feare of meane degree —

Therfore blesse mee well maye
all generacions for aye;
(much has god done for me to-day,
so his name aye hallowed be !)

much has that lord done for mee,
that moste is in his majestye ;
all princes hee passes of postee,
as sheweth well by this.

therfore with full hart and free
his name allway hallowed be,

69 toome] to me Wr. 70 mea dominum] mei domine Wr.
71 is ] now H B h Dm., is Wr. 72 will I ] I will H B W h

after 72 et . . . &c. ] omit h. Dm., not omitted in Wr. &C.] sal-
uatori meo H 76 of meane ] in manye W h 78 and 79 ] omit
h, according to Deimling, "who probably means to refer to II. 79—80,
•which are -misplaced in all -manuscripts 79 and 80 ] D omits here

and inserts after I. 88. According to Deimling all other manuscripts
insert these lines after I. 86. Wright, however, inserts them after 88,
showing that this is probably an error by Deimling 83 of ]

in H B W h 86 allway hallowed be ] aye hallowed be aye

W, allway blessed be aye h

Chester Nativity (I) 9

and honored evermore be hee
on height in heaven blysse !

as he is bound to doe mercye
from progenye to progenye, 90

and all that dredene hym veryly,
his talent to ffullfill.

hee through his myght gave maystery,
disperses proud dispituusly,
with myght of his harte hastely 95

at his owne will ;

Deposethe myghty oute of place,
and myke allsoe he haunsed hase,
hongry, nydy, wantinge grace,

with (good) hee hath fullfellede. «<»

That rych powere he hath forsakene,
to Israeli, his sonne, he hath betaken;
wayle to man throughe him (is waken),
and myrcy hasse of his guylte,

As he spake to our fathers before, ios

Abrahame and his syde full yore.
Joye to the father evermore,
the sone, and the holy ghoste,

As was from the beginninge,
and never shall have endinge, no

from world to world aye wendinge,
Amen ! god of might most.

87 evermore ] allwaie evermore W 88 on ] and W h

height ] highe B W h 89 bound ] bowne H B 91 and 92 ] omit h
93 gave ] gave them H 94 disperses ] dispereles H, dispensing
B dispituusly ] did pitouslye W 97 deposeth ] disposeth W h
98 haunsed ] hansced Wr. 100 good ] god D 102 he hath ]
omit H B h Dm. 103 is waken ] his wakinge D 104 of ] for
B, in h his ] omit h guilt 1 owine W, store h 106 f ull ] f or W h
111 wending] weildinge W h 112 might] mightes H B h

10 Chester Nativity (1)

Elizabeth'. Marye, now redd I that wee gone

to Joseph, thy husband, anon,
us leste hee to misse thee make mone,

for now that is most neede.

[34 b] Maria : Elizabeth, nece, to doe so good is
leste hee suppose one mee amysse ;
but good lord, that hath ordayned this,
«o wyll witnes of my deede.

[Scene 3]

Elizabeth : Joseph, god the save and see !

thy wife here I (have) brought to thee.
Joseph : Alas, alas ! and woe is mee !

whoe hathe made her with chyld?

xa5 well I wist an ould man and a maye

might not accord by noe waye,
for many yeares might I not playe,
ne worke noe workes wild.

Three monethes shee hath bene from mee,
«3o now hathe shee gotten her, as I see,

a great bellye, like to thee,
syth shee went away.

and myne yt is not, bee thow bould,
for I am both ould and could,
•as these XXXtie winters, though I would,

I might not playe noe playe.

113 now redd I ] I rede nowe W now ] omit h 115 make J
makes H, make great B 117 nece ] nice Wr. 119 good ] the
good W after 120 ] (tune ibunt ad Joseph) H 122 here ] omit
W h have ] omit D 123 woe is ] woes Wr. 124 hathe ] hase Wr.
125 an ] and B maye ] maide h 126 accord ] agree h 127 for ]
nor B W h yeares ] wynters W 128 ne ] ner W 129 hath J

hase Wr. 130 hathe ] has H B W h 132 syth ] since Wr.
3 35 these XXXtie ] this XXX H B h Dm. winters J wynter H B
h Dm. 136 playe noe playe] plea no leaie W noe] that H

Chester Nativity (I) 11

alas ! where might I lenge or lende ?
for loth is me my wife to shende ;
therefore from her will I wende

into some other place. J4°

ffor to dyscreeve (her) will I nought,
feeblye though shee have wrought;
to leave her privelye is my thought,
that noe man knowe this case.

God lett never an ould man «4s

take to wife a yonge woman,
ney sect his harte her upon,
lest hee beguyled bee.

ffor accorde ther maye be none,
ney the(y) may never bee at one, «s<»

and that is scene in manye one
as well as one mee.

Therfore have I slept awhile,
my wife that mee can thus beguyle,
I will gone from her, (for) yt to fyle xss

mee is loth, in good faye.

This case makes mee so heavye
that needes sleepe nowe muste I ;
lord, one hir thow have mercye

for her misdeede to-daye. x6*

Angelus: Joseph, lett bee thy feeble thought, [35 a]

take Marye, thy wife, and dred thee nought,

141 her 1 omit D 142 feeblye ] f owlye W h 144 this ] the B
146 to wife ] hym H B W h 147 ney ] ne H B, nay W h

150 ney ] nor H B W h they ] the D W 151 manye ] manye a W h
153 have I ] when I have W h 154 me can thus ] thus can me
H B, can me thus W h 155 I ] for I D W gone ] goe H B

W h f or ] omit D yt ] her W 168 nowe J after needes H

after 160 ] (tune dormit) H

12 Chester Nativity (I)

for wickedly shee hath not wrought,
but this is gode will.

x65 The child that shee shall beare, Iwys,

of the holy ghost begotten yt is,
to save mankynd that did amisse,
and prophecye to fulfill.

Joseph: A! no we I wott, lord, yt is soe,
i7o I will noe man bee her foe,

but while I may one yearth goe
with her I will bee.

Nowe Christe is in our kynde light,
as the prophete before hight;
175 lord god, most of might,

with weale I worshipp thee.

[Scene 4]

Nuntius: Make rowme, lordinges, and give us waye,
and lett Octavian come and playe,
and Sybell, the sage, that well fayr maye.
l8o to tell you of prophecye.

That lord that dyed on good fryday,
hee have you all, both night and daye.
farewell, lordinges, I goe my waye,
I may not lenger [abye.]

164 gode ] Gods H B W li 166 begotten ] gotten H yt ] omit
H B W h 170 man ] more H after 172 ] (Excitatus autem
Joseph) H 174 prophete ] prophetes H B, prophescye W h

before ] yore H B h Dm. higt ] beheigt H B h Dm. after 176 j
(somno fecit, ut iu . . . erat sibi angelus domini) H 177 Nun
tius ] messinger h 179 that ] tha W fayr ] fraye W 182
have ] save B W 183 goe ] must B 184 not J no H B W h
abye ] abyde D H W h, bide B

Chester Nativity (I) 13

Octavianus : I, preeved prince, most of powere, 185

under heaven highest am I here,
fay rest food to fight in fere ;
no freake my face may flee.

all this world, withowten were,
king, prynce, baron, batchlere, 190

I may destroy in great dangere,
through vertu of my degree.

My name Octavian called is,
all me about full in my blys,
for wholey all this world, Iwys, *9s

is readye at my owne will.

Noe man one mould darre doe amisse

agaynst mee, I tell you this;

May no man say e that ought is his,

but my leave be thertyll. 3<x>

ffor I halfe multiplyed more
the Cittye of Rome, sythe I was bore,
then ever did any (me) before,
syth I had this kingdome.

ffor what with streng(th) and strokes sore, 205
leadinge lordshipp, lovely lore,
all this world has bine yore
tributarye unto Rome.

Segneurs tous si assembles [35 b]

A mes probes estates, 2IO

185 powere] postie W 186 here] omit W 187 fayrest]
the fayrest B foot ] stoode B to fight ] f aightest W, to fraught B
in ] with B, omit W 194 all me about ] at my aboue H 196
owne ] omit B 197 mould ) Hue W 199 may ] ne H, nay B

203 me ] omit D 205 strength ] strenght D strength and strokes ]
inverted in W 206 lordshipp ] lordshippes Wr. 207 has ] nowe
hase H B W h 209 segneurs ] segurrs Wr. assembles ] asmeles
Wr., arneles Dm. 210 ] omit h, combined with 212 W probes ]

proles H B h

14 Chester Nativity (I)

Ice posse fayre lerment et leez,
et mette in languore.

Vous tous si prest ne sortes
de fayre intentes mavolentes,
car [je su] soveroyne ben sages,
et demande Emperoure.

leo si persone mille si able
leo su tent fayre et leable
en treasoroce ne treasagyle
mes de toyle plerunt.

Destret et sage su en counsell
Ami ou dame et ou pusele
declare et sauke mater frayle
un teell n'est paas uma.

King, [cayser], clarke, or knight,
sandens, senatours in sight,
princes, pryest(s), here nowe dight,
and present in this place —

211 Ice ] Jeo Wr. 212 ] omit la. 213 vous ] omit Wr.

tous ] toutes H B li Dm. ne sortes ] me fortes W h 215 je

su ] Jesu D H B W h 217—225 ] omit h 217 leo ] lay H B
h Dm. si able J seable W, si aUe B 218 leo su tent fayre ]

combined with 217 Wr. leo su ] ley su H h, leosu W, losice B,
leable ] beable H h 219 ] begins with et leable from 218 Wr. en
treasoroce ] entransorce W, en tresarois H h ne tresagyle ] ne tres-
agait H h me creaca W 220 de toyle ] dotole Wr. 221 destrefc
et sage combined with 220 Wr. su en ] saen Wr., sout en B counsell]
comech W 222 ou dame ] ondem Wr., ou dem Dm. 223 de
clare ] declaan W et sauke ] sake et H h, sauk et B Dm., sanke
et Wr. 224 tell n'est ] tellnest Wr. uma ] un mame H h, vmaut
B, un Dm. urn Wr. 225 cayser] Carsell H, coysell D B W h

or ] and H knight ] kinge Wr. 226 senatours ] solitaryes W
227 pryests ] pryest D, preistes H B h, prese W

Chester Nativity (I) 15

peace, or here my truthe I plight,
I am the manfulst man of might, aso

take mynde on my manace.

All leedes in land bee at my likinge,
Castle, couquerour, and kinge
bayne be to do my byddynge,

yt will non other bee. **s

Right as I thinke, soe (is all thinge),
for all the word dose my willinge,
and bayne bine when I bydd bringe
homage and feoaltye.

sythen I was lord, withowten lesse, 2*°

with my witt I can more increase
the empire here then ever it was,
as all this world yt wiste.

syth I was soverayne warre can cease,
and through this world now is peace, a«

for soe dreade a duke sate never on dayes
in Rome, that you may trust.

Therfore, as lord, nowe likes mee
to preeve my might and my postee,
for I will send about and see 35°

how many heades I have.

All the world shall written bee,
great and small, in eych degree,

229 I plight ] Iplight H B W h 230 manfulst ] manliest W h
After 230 a blank in H 231 take ] takes H B W h on ] of

H B W h manace ] mase W h 232 leedes ] lordes W

234 be] bene H B h Dm do ] omit Wr. 236 as ] omit W h

is all thinge ] must all bee D, moste it be W h 238 bine ] omit
W bydd] didH 240—244] omit h 243 yt] is H

244 can cease ] cleare can cease D, clean can cease H Wr. 248
nowe ] omit B 249 preve ] prove H B W h 250 about ] and
about B 253 eych ] his B

16 Chester Nativity (I)

that dwell in shire or in cittye,
255 king, clarke, knight, and knave,

Eych man one penye shall paye,
therfore, my bedell, doe as I saye ;
in middest the world, by anye waye,
this gammon shall begine.

The folke of Jewes, in good faye,
in myddest bine, that is noe naye,
therefore thyder, daye by daye,
and travayle or thow bline.

[3 6 a] Warne him that there is president,

265 that this is fully myne intent

that eych man appere present,
his penye for to paye,

And by that penye, as well appent,
knowledge to bee obedyente
*7° to Rome, by gift of such a rent,

from that tyme after aye.

When this is done thus in Judye,
that in the middest of the world shalbe,
to eych land, shire, and cyttye,
275 to Rome make them soe thrall.

Warne them, boye, I commande thee,
they doe the same, saye thus from mee,
soe all this world shall witt that we
Bine soveraygne of them all.

258 middest ] mydds H B h Dm., medeste Wr. 261 middest
mydds EL B h Dm., medest Wr. 263 or ] all B 264 there
is ] is there h 270 Borne ] come Wr. gift ] geiste Wr.

271 aye ] ever W 272 thus ] thir Wr. 273 of ] omit h, in B
277 they ] the H B W h thus ] this H B W h

Chester Nativity (I) 17

Have donne, boye, art thou not bowne? a8°
Preco: All readye, my lorde, by [Mahoun,]
noe tayles tupp in all this towne
shall goe further, withowten fayle.

Octavianus: Boye, therfore, by my crowne,

Thow muste have thy warrysoun. t8$

the highest horse besydes (B)[r]oughton

take thow for thy travell.
Preco: Graunt mercye, lord, perdye,

this hackney will well serve mee,
for a great lord of your degree 190

should ryde in such araye.

The bine hye in dignitye,

and alsoe high and swifte is hee ;

therefore that reverans takes yee,

my deare lord, I you praye. «9s

But your arrand shalbe donne anone,
first into Judye I will gone,
and sommon the people, everychone,
both shire and eke cyttye.

Octavianus: Boye, there bine ladyes manye one, 300

amonge them all chese thee one,
take the fayrest, or els none,
and freely I give her thee.

Primus Senatour: my lord Octavian, wee be sent

from all Rome, with good entent, 305

280 written in the margin of H 281 Mahoun ] Mahoimde D

Wr. mahound H B h Dm. 282 tayles tupp ] so Wr., tails

tupp H h Dm., tnppe tayles B after 283 ] blank in H

284-295 ] omit W h 286 Broughton ] boughton & D, Boughton H B
292 bine] lyve B 294 reverans ] remanes B 296-800]

omit W But ] omit h 297 will ] wilbe B 299 both

shire ] both in shire H eke ] omit H 800 Octavianus ] omit

HB bine]beHBWh manye] many a W 300-304 ] omit h
304 My] from my W h 305 good] full H

B

18 Chester Nativity (1)

thy men there have eychone Iment
as god to honour thee;

[36 b] and to that pointe we be assent,

poore and ryche in parlement;
310 for soe loved a lord, verament,

was never in this cyttye.

Secundus Senator: Yea, sicker, syr, ther will is this,
to honour thee as god, with blys,
for thow did never to them amysse
315 in worde, thought, ne deede.

(peace hath bene long and yet is,
no man in thy tyme lost ought of his,
therfore their will is now, Iwis,
to quite you this your meede.)

a*6 Octavianus : Welcome, my frendes, in good faye,
for you be baynable to my paye ;
I thanke you all that ever I maye

the homage yee doe to mee;
320 But follye yt were, by manye a waye,

such soverayntye for to assaye,
syth I must dye I wotte not what day,

to desyre such dignitye.
ifor of all flesch, blood, and bonne
3*5 made I am, borne of a womane,

and, sycker, other matter nonne
sheweth not right in mee ;

neyther of Iron, tree, ne stonne

am I not wrought, you wott eych one,

308 assent ] sent H W h 312 sicker syr ] seckerly B

315 ne ] ner W h 315 a, b, c, d ] omit D 315 b ought ]

nought H 315 c now ] so W h 315 d this ] in H meede ]
neede H 317 baynable ] penyble H, welckome W h 324

of all ] of H B, all the W h 325 made ] man W h 328

ne] nor H B W h 329 am I ] I ame B

Chester Nativity (I)

19

Sybbell

and of my life moste parte is gone,
age shewes him soe in mee

and godhead askes in all thinge
tyme that hath noe beginninge,
ne never shall have endinge;
and none of this have I.

Wrierfore, by verey proofe shewinge,
though I bee highest worldly kinge,
of godhead have I noe knowinge ;
This were unkynd(lie).

But yet enquyre of this will wee
of hir that (hath) grace to see
thinges that afterward shalbe,
by ghoost of prophecye.

and after hir lore, by my lewtye !
discussinge this difficultye,
worke I, and take not more (on me)
then I am well worthye.

Sybbell, the sage, tell me this thinge,
for thow wytt hase, as (no) man livinge,
shall ever be any earthlye kinge
to passe mee of degree?

Yea, syr, I tell you, withowt leasinge,
a bab borne shalbe, blys to bringe,

330

335

34°

345

350

[37 a)

331 in me ] I see H B W h Shewes ] sheweth Wr. 332

thinge ] thinges h 335 this ] these H W h 337 bee ]

omit H 339 This ] it H W B h unkyndlie ] unkynd D W h

340 of ] if Dm. will wee ] wilbe W 341 of ] at H W B h

hath ] hast D, has H B to see ] for to see H B W h 344 lore]
lawe W h lewtye ] bewtie W h 346 I ] omit H B W h

not ] no H B W h on me J and more D on ] of h 349 hase J
hast H W B h no ] not D 350 shall ever ] shall ther ever B h
353 bab ] barne H B W h borne shalbe ] shall borne be H h,
shalbe borne W

B2

20 Chester Nativity (I)

the which (that) never (hade) beginninge,
355 ne never shal ended bee.

Octavyanm: Sybbyll, I pray thee specially,
by sign thow would me certyfye,
what tyme that lord so royallye
to raigne hee shal beginne.

36o Sybyll speake tho : Syr, I shall tell you witterlye
his signes when I see verelye,
for when hee comes, through his mercye
one mankynde hee will mynne.

Well I wott for soth, I-wys,

365 that god will bring mankinde to blys,

and send from heaven, leeves well this,

367 his sonne, our savyour,

(Ihesu Christ, nothing amis,
called he shall be and is,
overcome the Divill and his countise
and be our Conquerour.)

368 But what tyme, syr, in good faye,
that hee will come, can I non saye ;

370 Therfore in this place I will praye

to greatest god of might.

and yf I see ought to your paye
ghostlye by anye waye,
warne you I shall anon this daye,
375 and shew it in your sight.

354 that ] shal D hade 1 hase D H B h 355 ended bee ]

endinge have W, endinge be h 356 specially 1 especiallye

W h 360 Sybyll speake tho ] omit H B W h Syr ] yea W h

362 when ] then B 363 mynne ] wynne B 364 for ]

and Wr. 366 leves] leve Wr. 367 a, b, c, d ] omit D.

367 c overcome] to overcome W, and overcome h countise]
Coyntoice H B 369 non ] not H B W h 370 I will]

will I H B W 372 to] in W h 374 anon] omit W h,

after 'you' B

Chester Nativity (I) 21

Tune orat sibilla

et

[Scene 5]
dicat preco alia voce :

Preco: Peace I byd kinge and knight,

men and weomen, and eych wight,
tyll I have tould that I have tight;
stonde styll, both stronge and stoute!

My lord, Octavyan, myche of might, 380

commandes you should be ready dight,
trybute hee wyll have in height
of all this world (aboute).

Hee wyll have written eych countree,
castle, shyre, and eke cyttye, 385

men and women, leeve you mee,
and all that beo therin.

a penye of eych man have will hee,

the valewe of ten pences hit shalbee,

To knowledge that hee has soverayntee 39°

fully e of all [mankyn].

Josephe : A ! lord ! what doth this man now here ?
poore men's weale ys ever in were.
I wott by this boster's bere

that trybute I muste paye. 395

and for greate age and noe powere, [37 b]

I wan noe good this seaven yere,
nowe comes the kinge's messenger

to gett all that hee maye.

after 375, st. dir. ] in margin H 379 stonde ] stall B

styll] stiff e Wr. stronge] still Wr. stiff e Dm. H B stoute]
stronge Wh 381 should be ] shalbe h 383 aboute ] above D
385 eke] each H 389 pences] pence H B W h 391 mankyn]
mankynd D H B W h 393 weale ] so Wr., waile H B h Dm.
394 bosters ] bostles H 396 age ] ayde h.

22 Chester Nativity (I)

400 with this axe that I beare,

this perce(r), and this naugere,
and hammer, all in fere,
I have wonnen my meate.

Castle, towre, ney riche manere
405 had I never in my power,

but as a symple carpenter
with these what I might gett.

If I have store [of] any thinge,
that must I paye unto the kinge,
410 but yett I have a likinge, —

The angell to mee to wide:

Hee that should man ou$of bale bringe
my wife had in her keapinge,
that seemes all good to my likinge
415 and makes mee more bowlde.

A ! leeffe syr ! tell mee, I thee praye,
shall poore as well as rych paye ?
my faye, syr, I hoope naye;
that were a wonders wronge.

420 Preco : Good man, I warne thee, in good faye,
to Bethlem to take the waye
lest thow in danger falle to-daye,
if that thow bee to longe.

Joseph: Nowe syth yt may non other bee,
425 Marye, sister, now hye wee !

an oxe I will take with mee,
that there shalbe soulde.

401 percer ] perces D naugere ] maugere B 402 and ] axe

H B, and a h, a W 404 riche ] omit W h 407 these ]

this B W what ] that H 408 of ] omit D h, now H B W

412 shold ] omit W h 418 my ] by my W h 419 wonders j

wonderous B W h 423 that ] omit W

Chester Nativity (1)

440
[38 a]

the silver of him, soe mote I thee,
shall fynde us in that cyttye,
and paye tribute for thee and mee, 43°

for therto wee bine howlde.

[Scene 6]

Maria: A! lord! what may this signifye?
Some men I see glad and merye,
and some syghinge and sorye

wherfore so ever yt bee. 435

Syth gode sonne, man to forbye,
is commen through his great mercye,
methinke that man should kindlye
be glad that sight to see.

Angelus: Marye, gode mother dere,

the tokeninge I shall thee lere,
the commen people, as thow seest here,
are glad as they well maye,

That they shall see of Abraham's seede
Christe come to helpe them in there neede
Therfore the(y) ioyen, withowten dreede,
for to abyde this daye.

The morneinge men, take this in mynde,
are Jewes that shalbe put behinde,
for they passed out of kinde 4So

through Christ at his comminge.

429 that] this H 431 bine] be Wr. after 431] (tune

Joseph ligabit bovem ad caudam asinse, et colliget Maryam super
Asinam, et cum ad stabulam pervenerit, dicat Maria) H 434
syghinge ] all sickinge W 436 Gode ] Gods H B W h

sonne ] sonne came D H B W h 437 is commen ] comon is B
439 ] that sight full gladlie for to see B 440 gode] Gods

H B W h 442 as] that H 443 they ] the Wr. 444

seede ] blood seede H 446 therf ore ] wherfore W they ]

the D Wr. joyen ] joye W 450 they] it H, the Wr. passed ]
passes H Dm. h, passeth Wr., haue passed B of ] of their H

44S

24 Chester Nativity (I)

ffor they shall have noe grace to knowe
that god for man shall light soe lowe;
for shame on them that sone shall showe,
455 therefore they bine mourninge.

[Scene 7]

Joseph: Marye, suster, sooth to saye,

harbour I hope gett wee ne may,
for great lordes of stowte arraye
occupye this cyttye.

460 Therefore wee muste, in good faye,

lye in this stable tyll it bee daye ;
to make men meeke, leeve I maye,
show him here will he.

Maria: Helpe me downe, my leeffe fere,
465 for I hope my tyme bee neere ;

Christe in this stable that is here,
I hope borne wilbe.

Tune Joseph accipiet Mariam in brachia sua.

Joseph: Come to me, my sweete dere,

the treasure off heaven, withowten were,
47o welcome in full meeke manere :

him hope I for to see.

Tune statuet Maria inter bovem ft asinam.

Marye, sister, I will assaye

to gett too middwives, yf I maye,

452 shall ] should B they ] the Wr. 455 bine ] be H B W h
they ] the Wr. 457 wee ] yf we B ne ] nay H, non W h,

(in h before gett), omit B 459 occupye ] do occupye W h

cyttye] plase W 460 therfore] wherfore Wr. 463 he]

IB 464 downe J downe then H B leefe] lif e H B h Dm.,

leffe Wr. fere ] dere B, in fere H 465 bee ] is H after

467 Tune Joseph etc. ] after 470 in H 473 too ] II H B W h

Chester Nativity (I) 25

for though in thee bee god verey,

and commen agaynst kynde, 475

ffor usage here of this cittye,
and manner's sake, as thinkes mee,
too I will fetch anon to thee,
If I may any fynde.

[Scene 8]

Joseph ad obstetrices. [38b]

Weomen, god you save and see, 480

is yt your will to goe with mee?
my wife ys commen into this cyttye
with child, and tyme is nere.

Helpes here nowe, for charytee,
and bee with her tyll day bee, 485

and your travayle, soe mote I thee,
I shall paye you right here.

Tebell : All readye, good man, in good faye,
wee will doe all that ever wee maye,
for too such middwives, I dare well saye, 490
are not in this cyttye.

Salome : Come, good man, leade us awaye,
by gode helpe, or hit bee day,
that we can good, thy wife shall saye,

and that thow shalt well see. 495

475 and commen ] a-commen H W h 477 and J as H W h
after 479 Joseph ad obstetrices ] omit H ad ] omit W h 482

into ] to H 483 nere ] nye W 484 helpes ] helpe Wr.

486 mot ] moche B 488 Tebell ] Tebell a midwief B 490

well ] omit W 492 Salome ] Salome the other midwyffe B

awaye ] the waye H B W h 493 by gode ] with Gods

HB Wh

26 Chester Nativity (I)

[Scene 9]

Joseph : Loe ! Marye ! harte ! brought I have here
too midd wives, for the man ere,
to bee with thee, my darlinge deare,
tyll that hit be daye.

soo Maria : Syr, the(y) be welcome, withowt were,
but god will worke of his powere
full sonne for mee, my lefe fere,
as best is nowe and aye.

Tune paululum acqui(e)scunt.

A! Joseph! tydinges aright!
s°s I have a sonne, a sweete wight,

lord, thanked bee thow, full of might,
for preeved is thy postee!

Payne felte I non this night,
but right soe as hee in mee light,
s10 commen hee is here in this sight,

gode sonne, as thow maye see.

Tune stella apparebit.

Joseph: Lord, welcome, sweete Jesu,

thy name thow haddest or I thee knew;
nowe leeve I the angell's worde is trewe,
515 that thow arte a cleane maye.

ffor thow arte commen man's blys to brewe
to all that thy lawe will shewe;

496 hart ] omit h, sweete harte W brought ] after * have ' in H
497 too ] II H B W h 500 they ] the D Wr. 502 lefe ]

life H h Dm., leiffe Wr. lyffys B * 503 aye ] ever W ac-

quiescunt] acquicscunt D, acquiescant H 506 full] much

H B W h 508 payne ] penance H non ] before ' felte '

H B W h 510 hee is J is he H this ] my H B W h

511 gode ] Gods H B W h thow ] you H maye ] maist B
514 worde is] wordes H B W h 517 lawe] saw H

Chester Nativity (1) 27

nowe man's joy beginns to new,
and noye to passe awaye.

Maria: Lord, blessed most thow bee

that simple borne art, as I see,
to preeve the divell of his postee
commen thow arte to-daye,

diuersorye is non for thee,

therefore thy sweete bodye free m

in this cratch shall lye with lee,
and lapped abowt with haye.

Tebell: A! dere lord, heaven kinge,

that this is a marvelous thinge !
withowten teene or travaylinge 530

a fayre sonne shee hasse one.

I dare well saye for sooth, I-wys,
that cleane mayden this woman ys,
for shee hath borne a chyld with blyss,

Soe wiste I never none. 535

Salome: Be styll, Tebell, I thee praye,
for that is false in good faye,
was never woman cleane maye,
and chyld withowt man.

But never the latter, I will assaye 540

whether shee bee cleane maye,
and know it if I cann.

Tune Salome tentabit tangere Mariam in sexu secreto, et
statim arentur manus eius, et clamando dicit:

618 beginns ] beginneth Wr. 519 noye ] ioye W h 521
art] is B 523 thow arte] art thou B 524 diuersorye]

fyne clothes W, fyne lynnen h 527 and ] all B, and be W h
539 and chyld ] and had child H B 541 cleane ] a cleane H B
after 541 ] no MS. indicates omission of a line. 542 it ] omit

h Dm. after 542 Tune Salome etc. ] : in sexu ] scpu Wr.

arentur ] arenent H, arement B h Dm., arescent Wr. manus ]
manibus h dicit ] dicat Wr.

28 Chester Nativity (I)

Alas ! alas ! alas ! alas !
mee is betyde an evyll case !
545 my hande bee dryed up in this place,

that feelinge none have I.

Vengeance on mee ys nowe light,
for I would tempte godde might;
alas that I came here to-night,
550 to suffer such anoye!

Tune apparet stella, et veniet angehts (dicens) ut sequitur :

(Angelus) : Woman, beseech this childe of grace,
that hee forgive thee the trespasse,
and ere thow goe owt off this place
holpen thow may bee.

555 This miracle that now thow seest here

is of gode owne powere,
to bringe mankinde owt of dangere,
and mende them, leeve thow mee.

Salome: Ah! sweete child, I aske mercye,
560 for thy mother's love, Marye,

though I have wrought wretchedlye,
sweete childe, forgive yt me!

Ah! blessed bee god! all whole am I.
nowe leeve I well and sickerlye
565 that god is commen man to forbye,

and thow, lord, thow art hee !

543 and 544 ] written as one line in H^ as are 545 and 546, 547
and 548, 549 and 550. 544 evyll ] sorye HBWh 545

hande ] handes H B W h 547 nowe ] omit W h 548 godde]
Gods HBWh 549 tonight] this night h 550 anoye] a

noye HBWh after 550 dicens ] omit D 551 Angelus ]

omit D woman] wemen Wr. beseech] before B 552 the]

thy HBWh 553 ere ] ever W 554 may bee ] shalbe W
555 now] after ' thon ' in B h, after ' myracle ' in W 556 Grode ]
Godes HBWh 561 wretchedlye] wickedly h 564 sickerlye]
seckeretlye Dm. 566 first thow ] omit W, now B

Chester Nativity (I) 29

[Scene 10]

Expositor: Loe ! lordinges all, of this miracle here [39 b]
freere Bartholemewe, in good mannere,
beareth wytnes, withowten were,
as played is you beforne. 57°

and other myracles, yf I maye,
I shall rehearse, or I goe awaye,
that befell that ilke daye
that Jesus Christ was borne.

Wee reade in cronicles express : 575

somtyme in Rome a temple was,
made of soe greate ryches
that wonder was witterlye.

ffor all thinges in hit, leeve you mee,
was silver, gould, and rych perlye; 580

thryd parte the world, as read wee,
that temple was worthye.

Of eych province, that booke mynde mase,
ther godde Image sett there was,
and eych on abowt his necke has 585

a silver bell hanginge,

And on his brest written also

the lande name and gode too,

and sett was alsoe, in middest of tho,

god of Rome right as a kinge. 590

667 all] omit H B 668 freere] Free Wr. 671 and] an

B W h. myracles J myracle B W h 673 ilke ] same W h

577 soe ] such W h 580 perlye ] perye H B, pearle W,

araye h 581 thryd J the thirde W 584 sett there ] ther

set B W h there ] omit H 585 on ] omit B 688 name ]

names B W gode too ] gods both two H B W h 689 was ]

wa B, omit W h middest ] myddes H B h Dm., medeste Wr.
of tho] altho H 690 Rome right] renowne H.

30 Chester Nativity (I)

Abowt the house alsoe mevinge there
a man on horse stood, men to steare,
and in his hand hee bare a spere,
all pure dispituouslye.

595 That horse and man was made of brasse,

torninge abowte that Image was;
save certayne preystes, ther might non passe,
for devyll's phantasie.

But when that any lande with battell
600 was readye Rome for to assayle,

The gode (Image), withowten fayle,
of that land range his bell,

and torned his face dispituouslye
to god of Rome, as reade I,

«°5 in tokeninge that (they) were readye

for feyghting freshe and felle.
The Image, alsoe, aboue standinge,
when the bell beneathe begane to ringe,
torned him, all sharpely shewinge

610 towarde that lande his spere.

and when they see this tokeninge,
Rome ordayned, withowt tareinge,
an oste to keepe there comminge,
longe or they came there.

6is And on this manere, sothelye,

by arte of neagromancye,
all the world, witterlye,

to Rome were made to lowt,

591 alsoe] was H mevinge] meaninge Wr. 594 all pure]
a pewer h 599 when that ] omit that H h 601 Image ] I
may D, I meane W h 605 tokeninge ] token B they ] there
D Wr. were] wente Wr. 606 for ] to H B W h 607 aboue]
about H 609 torned] torninge W him] him self B 611
see] saw H B h Dm., see Wr. they ] the Wr. 613 comminge]
torninge Wr. 615 on ] in H B W h

Chester Nativity (I) 31

and that temple there, dowbtles, [40 a]

was called therfore the temple of peace, 620
that through (t)his sleyt battell can cease

throughowt the worlde abowte.
But hee (that) coyntly this worke caste,
asked the devyll, or hee paste,
howe lange that temple hit should laste, 6*5

that hee there can buylde.
The devill answered suttilly,
and sayd yt should last sickerlye,
untill a mayden wemmostlye

had conceyued a chylde. 630

They hard and beleeved therfore
yt should endure for evermore,
but that tyme that Christ was bore

hit fell downe soone in hye.
Of which howse is seene this daye 635

somewhat standing, in good faye,
but noe man dare well goe that waye,

for feendes' phantasye,
That daye was seene verament
Three sonnes in the firmament, 64o

and wonderslye together went

and torned into one.
The oxe, the asse, ther they were lent,
honored Christe in theyr intent,
and moe miracles as wee have ment 645

to playe right here anon.

Tune ostendit stellarn et veniet Sibilla ad Imperatorem.

619-623 ] omit h 619 and that ] and in that D B W

621 that ] omit W this ] his D Wr. 623 that ] to D, twoo

B h Dm, so Wr. coyntly ] cunningly e Wr. 625 longe] omi'tW
hit] there h 629 wemmostlye] wemmouslie H B h, womanlye W
631 they] the Wr. 637 well goe] goe well H B h Dm.,

goe Wr 640 three ] 3 H B W h 643 were J be Wr.

after 646 ostendit ] ostendant H, ostendent B, ostendunt W h

32 Chester Nativity (I)

[Scene 11]

Sibilla: Syr Emperour, god thee save and see!
(looke up on height after mee);
I tell you sicker that borne ys hee
6s<> that passeth thee of (power).

6s* That baron thow seest that great shalbee,

(as none lyke him in any degree,)
6s* to passe all kinges and eke thee

that borne are or ever were.
Octavyan: A! Sibbel, this is a wondrouse sight,
655 for yonder I see a mayden bright,

a yonge chylde in here armes clight,

a bright crosse in his head,
honour I wyll that sweete wight
with incense, throughowt all my might,
660 for that reverence is most right,

if that yt bee thy reade.
Incense bringe, I command, in hye,
to honour this child, kinge of mercye.
should I bee god ? nay, nay ! witterlye,
66s great wronge, I wys, yt were.

[40 b] ffor this childe is more worthye

then such a thowsande as am I,
therifore to god, moste mightye,
Incense I offer here.

Tune angelus cantdbit " Hac cst ara Dei C&li? fiat \notd\
secundum arbitrium agentis.

647-650] order of these lines much confused; all MSS. put 648
after 6$o, in H the original order is indicated by A C D B in another
hand that also corrected a former ^postye* (650) to ''power1, 648

up on ] np an H 649 sicker ] trulye W h 650 power ]

postee D B W h, H also reads thus originally (cf. under 647—650).
651 that great ] so great H, that so great B, greate W h 651 a ]
omit D B W h, found only in margin of H 653 ] that is borne
or ever shalbe W are] was h 659 throughowt] through H B,
with W h all ] omit H after 669 hie ] hec Wr. est ] este Wr.
Ceeli] Cela Wr. fiat] fiant Wh nota] notam D H B W h

Chester Nativity (I) 33

A! Sybbell, heres not thow this songe? 670

my members all yt gooth amonge ;
Joy and blys makest my harte stronge,
to heare this melody.

Sy(c)ker, yt may non other bee,

but this childe is prince of postye, *7$

and I his subiect, as I see ;

he is most worthye.

Sybbell: Yea, syr, you shall leeve well this,
somewhere one yearth borne he is,
and that hee comes for man's blys 68»

his tokeninge this can shewe.
Reverence him, I read, I wys,
for other god there none yis ;
that hopes otherwise doth amys,

but him for Christe to knowe. 68s

Octavyan : Syr senators, goes home anone,
and warne my men everychone,
that suche worshipp I must forgonne

as they would doe to me.

but this child worshipp eych mane, 690

with full harte, all that you (can),
for hee is worthy to leeve upon,

and that nowe I (well) see.
(Senator) : A ! lord, whatever this may bee,

this is a wondrous sight to see, 695

670 not thow ] thou not H B 672 makest ] makes H B

Dm. h, maketh Wr. stronge ] full strong H 674—678 ] omit B
674 sycker] syrker D, trnlye W, surely h 678 you shall]

thou shalt B W h 680 comes ] commeth Wr. 681 token
inge ] token W H 684 that J he that W h hopes ] hopeth Wr.
otherwise ] otherwayes H doth ] he doth H B h Dm. 686 Syr ]
sires B W h 687 everychone ] every one H, every

echone B W h 691 can ] omit D 693 nowe I ] I now W li
well J wyll D H B 694 Senator ] omit D B W h A ] and W h
695 wondrous] wonders H

C

34 Chester Nativity (I)

for in the starre as thinkes mee,
I see a full fayre maye.

Syr, shall this child passe yee
of worthiness and dignitee ?
700 such a lord, by my lewtye,

I wend never had binne.

Expositor: Lordinges, that this is verey,
by verey sygne knowe yee maye,
for in Rome, in good faye,

there as this thinge was seen£,

Was buy Id a church in noble araye,

in worshipp of Marye, that sweete maye,

that yett lastes untyll this daye,

as men know that there have binne.

and for to have full memorye
of the angells' melody,
and of this sight, sickerlye,
the Emperoure ther knewe,

The church is called St. Marye,
7*5 the surname is aracaeli,

that men knowe nowe well therby
that this was fully trewe.

another miracle I fynd also
at Christes byrth, that fell thoo,
720 when Salome attempted to knowe

whether shee was a maye.

6% thinkes] thinketh Wr. 698 1 'primus Senator' above line
in W 700 lewtye] bewtie Dm. 701 binne] bene none

H B W h 703 verey sygne ] signes true B 705 this

thinge] thes thingis Wh 708 lastes] lasteth Wr. untyll]

unto H W h this ] omit B 715 aracseli ] Ara Caeli H B in

a racali W, in ra call h 716 that] tha Dm. now ] omit Wr.
719 at ] a Wr. that ] omit B W h f eU thoo ] f ell right tho
HB Wh

Chester Nativity (I)

Hyr hand roted, as you have scene,
wherby you may take good teene
that unbeleeffe is a fowle sinne,
as you have seen within this playe.

36

Finis pagina sexta.

726 within ] in Wr. playe ] place W h pagina sexta }

pagina> sextae H W h, omit B deo gracias W h, "W adding per
me Georgi bellin 1592, Come lorde lesu Come quickly; h adds
date 1600. after Finis pagina sexta ] John Egerton Esqr. D

(in a later hand].

C2

[41 b] THE PAYNTERS' PLAYE:

INCIPET PAGINA SEPTIMA DE PASTORIBUS.

Prim(us) Pastor : On wouldes I walked (full) wylde,
under buskes my bowre to b(u)ylde,
from styffe stormes my sheepe to shilde,
my seemely wedders to save,

5 ifrom comlye Conwaye unto clyde

under tyldes them to hyde.
a better shepperd on no syde
noe yearthlye man may have.

ifor with walkynge werye I have mee wrought,
10 besydes the Suche my sheepe I sought;

my taytfull tuppes are in my thought,
them to save and heale

ifrom the shrewde scabbe [that] sought,
or the rotte, yf yt were wrought,
15 if the cough had them caught,

of hyt I could them heale.

Loe ! here bee my herbes saffe and sownde,
wyssly wrought for everye (w)ounde, —

The paynters playe ] The paynters and glasiers H Dm., The
paynters and the glasiers Playe Wr., after the Latin in H
Incipet ] incipit B W h, omit H de pastoribus ] de pastoribus
greges pascentibus H primus pastor] omit B, primo pastor (as
in all other places) D

1 I J before have B W h full] omit D 2 buskes] bushes W h
buylde ] bylde D 5 clyde ] glide H 6 under ] on the H

tyldes ] hilles B 9 wrought ] thoughte B W h 11 tayt

full ] tytefull H, toylefull B, taleful W, taylefull h 12 save ]
have B 13 that] yt D, it H B W h 16 of hyt] of yf W
18 wounde 1 mounde D

Chester Shepherds Play (II) 37

the|y | woulde a whole man bringe to grownde
within a little [thro we]. «

Of henbane and horehounde,
(r)ybbe, radishe, and egermonde,
which bee my (h)erbes, save and sounde,
medled on a Rowe.

Here be more herbes, I tell yt you, **>

I shall rekken them on a Rowe,
fynter-fanter and fetterfowe,
and alsoe penye-wrytte.

This is all that I knowe,

for be yt wether or be yt yoo, 30

I shall heale the(m) on a rowe
cleane from theyre hurte.

Here is tarre in a pott,
to heale them from the rott;
well I can and well I wott 35

the talgh from them take.

And yf sworne yt had the thursse,
yett shall the talgh be in my purse,
and the sheape never the worse

to renne on the rake. p £t/v~x"*' c^^ 4°
But noe fellowshippe here have I, [42a]

save myselfe, alone, in good faye,

19 they ] the all MSS. 20 throwe ] whyle all A/SS.,

22 rybbe ] tybbe D, tibbie B, bybbey W h, ribbie H 23 herbes ]
merbes D 25] preceded by 1. 27 in h 27 and] omit H

28 wrytte J Professor Zupitza suggests • wurtt,' for the sake of the
rime ; it seems scarcely necessary 31 heale them ] them

heale W them] the D rowe] thraw H 32 from] of

HBh theyre] the B 34 to] for to H from] of H

36 talgh ] talch (possibly calch) H, talgh h, caughe W, taytinge
B take ] to take H 37-41 ] omit W h 38 yett shall

the ] omit B after 40 ] stage direction (Tune ad sedem) H

38 Chester Shepherds' Play (II)

therfore after one faste will I crye,
but first will I drinke, if I maye,

hie potat prim(us) pastor.

45 Howe ! harvye ! howe !

drive thy sheep to the lowe!
thow may not here excepte I blowe,
as ever have I heale !

hie fldbit primus pastor.

Secund(us) pastor: Yt is no shame for mee to shewe
50 how I was set for to sbwe

with the fether of a crowe,
a clowt upon my heele.

sitt downe.

ffelowe, now be we well mett;
(one thing) methinkes us needes :
55 had wee Tudd heere by vs sett,

(then) might wee sitte and feede vs.

Prim(us) pastor : yea, to feede vs frendly in fay,
(now) might we have our service,
crye thow must lowd, by this daye!
60 Tudd is deafe and may not well here vs.

after 44] stage direction (tune potet) H potat] potet W 45 har
vye ] Haroye all MSS howe ] how how all MSS 46 thy ]
the H 47 excepte ] but if H 48 heale ] f eale H, fey
Professor Zupitza after 48 stage direction} (Tune flat cum
Cornu et reddit : ' Aho ' 10.0. Tune venit secundus gerens plumam
cornicis cum vestis parte veteris.) H after hie flabit primus
pastor h adds in margin Et sittes down ; B and W add Sitt downe.
49 no ] not H B h Dm. me ] omit W h Secundus ] always
written either Scdo, or Secundo in D 50 set] taught h for]
omit W sowe] loe H W after 52 sitt downe] omit H, in
serted after hie flabit etc. (after 48) B W h 53 be we ] we
be H B W h 54 one thing ] and though D B W h 56 then ]
them D 57 pastor] omit H before this line H reads: (tune
humili voce : ' Howe, Tud, tud ') 58 now ] how D Wr. ser
vice] service aye Wh 60 may] omit W after 60] H
omits this stage direction, but cf. I. 57

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 39

Secund(us) pastor vocat submissa voce :

How ! Tudd ! come for thy fathers kyn !

Prim(us) pastor : Nayye ! faye ! thy voyce is wonders dym.
why ! knowys thow not him ?
ffye, man, for shame!

Call him 4 Tudd, Tybbys sonne,' *s

and then wyll the shrewe come,
for, in good fayth, yt is his wonne
to love well his damys name.

Secund(us) pastor: How, Tudd, Tybbys sonne!
Tertius pastor : Syr, in fayth, nowe I come, ?<>

for yett have I not all donne
that I have to done.

To seethe salve for our sheepe,
and, lest my wiffe should yt weete,
with great gravell and greete 75

I scowre (an) ould panne.

Hemlocke and hayrifFe, — take keepe! —

with tarre beyste must bene all tamed,

Penyegrasse and butter for fatt sheepe;

for this salve am I not ashamed. »°

Ashamed am I not to shewe |42b]

no poynt that longeth to my crafte,

noe better — that I well knowe -

in land is nowhere la(f)te.

61 ] H has hfading Secundus 62 Nayye ] may B faye ]

fye H wonders ] wondrous H, wonderous Wr. after 64 ]

stage direction (tune vocat voce canora, ut antea.) H in margin
69 pastor ] omit H 70 pastor ] omit H 71 all ] half H

72 done] doe H B W h to] for to H 73 our ] my h

76 an ] and D 78 tarre beyst ] tarboyst H B W h must

bene all tamed ] bene to me all good H all ] omit W h 80 for ]
of H 82 that] to B longeth] longes Wr. 84 laf te ]

laste D

40 Chester Shepherds Play (II)

85 ffor, good men, this is not vnknown

to husbands that benne here abowt
that eych man muste (to his wife bowne),
and commonly for feare of a clowte.
Thus for clowtes now care I,

90 all ys for feare of our [dame-kynn,]

now wyll (I) caste my ware hereby,
and hye faste that I were at Hankynn.
Hankynn, hold up thy hand and have mee,
that I were on height there by thee.

95 Prim(m) pastor : Gladly, syr and thow would bee by me,
for loth is me to denye thee.

Secund(us) pastor : Nowe sythen god hath gathered vs

together,

with good harte I thanke him of his grace,
welcome be thow, well fayre wedder !
«>«> Tudd, will we shape vs to some solace?

Tertius pastor : [Yea], solace would best be seene,
that we shape vs to our supper,
for meate and drinke, well I deeme,
to eych deede is most dere.

105 Prim(m) pastor : Lay forth eych man, i-lych,
what he hath lafte of his liverye ;
And I will put forth my pyche,
with my parte, firste of vs all three.

ffor] for to W 86 bene] be Wr. 87 to his wife bowne]
bowe to his wife D 89 thus ] this Wr. 90 our ] omit H

dame-kynn ] dame kynne B, dame kenye W h dame keynn D
91 J ] omit D 94 on ] on a H 95 pastor ] omit H bee

by ] ban H 96 is me ] me is H W h, I ame B 97 pastor ]
omit 15. sythen] seinge Wr. 99 wedder] wether H, weither W,
weather h 101 Yea ] Yeg H, omit D B W h 103 deeme ]
wene Wh 104 dede] man H 105 pastor] omit H

eych man i-lych ] I ech man besech B i-lych ] alyche H W h
107 put ] first put H B

Chester Shepherds Play (11) 41

Secund(us) pastor : and such store as my wife had,

in your sight soone shall you see, »•

at our beginninge vs to glade,
for in good meate ther is much glee,
here is bredd this day was bacon,
onyons, garlycke, and leekes,
butter that bought was in Blacon, "»

and greene cheese that will greese well your
cheekes.

Tertius pastor : And here ale of Halton I have,
and what meate I had to my hyer;
A puddinge may noe man deprave,
and a Jannock of Lancastershyre. "°

Loe ! here a sheepes head sowsed in ale,
and a gr(o)yne to laye on the greene,
And sowre milke my wife had (on sale) —
a noble supper as well is scene.

Prim(us) pastor: Nowe will I cast of my cloacke,
and put out parte of my liverye,

109 pastor ] omit H 111 to ] for to H B W h 114 leekes ]
lyckes B, lyke H, leikes W 115 was ] before ' bought ' B

116 well ] omit H B W h 117 pastor ] omit H 118 what ]
hott B h, whotte W 119 a ] and a H 120 Lancaster

shyre ] Lancashire H B W h 122 groyne ] grayne D

123 had ] hath h 011 sale ] ordeyned D B W h after 124 ] H

inserts the following eight lines :

Primus pastor : and as it is well sene, ye shall see

and what somewhat I have in my sacke :
a piggs foote I have here, pardye !
and a panch clout in my packe.

A womb clout, fellowes, now have I,

a lyver as is no lak,

a chitterling boyled shall be.

this burden I beare on my backe.

B leaves a space blank after 124. 126 put] pull HB

42 Chester Shepherds Play (II)

put owt that I save in my poacke,

and a pigges foote from puddinges purye.

Tertius pastor : Abyde, fellowes, and yee shall see here
*so this hott meate [that we shall hend],

Jambons and other good meate in fere,
a puddinge with a pricke in ende.

Prim(us) pastor: my sottchell to shake out,

to sheppardes am I not ashamed ;
'as and this tonge pared rownd aboute,

with my teeth yt shalbe atamed.

Tune commedent, et dicat prim(us) pastor :
Byd me doe gladly, and I thee,
for by god here is good grawsinge.
Come eate with vs, god of heaven hye,
MO but take noe heede though ther be noe howsinge.

Secundus pastor: Howsinge ennoughe have wee here,
while that wee have heavon over our hedde(s).
Now to weete our mouthes tyme were,
this flackett will I tame, if thow reade vs.

MS Tertius pastor : And of this bottell nowe will I bibbe,
for here is bowles of the best,

127 put] pull H B, and put W save ] have H B W h 128 pig
ges] gygges W, gygge h 129 pastor] omit W 130 that
we shall hend ] we shall it hend H, we serven yt here D B,
serveid here W h 131 meate] omit H Jambons] Gammons Wr.
132 in ] in the H B W h 133 pastor ] omit H my ] and that
is in my H 135 and this ] this Oxe H 136 with my
teeth ] for your tooth H, with my tonge W atamed ] tamed B h
after 136 et dicat etc. ] omit H 137-140 ] omit W 138 by
god ] surelie H 139 ] Sit downe by me h hye ] hie hie B
140 and ] but B h ther ] here H B h 141 Secundus pastor ]
omit W pastor ] omit H 142 that ] omit H B h Dm.
heddes] hedde D 143 were] it were H 144 flackett]
flagette W h, flaggen H 145 pastor ] omit H and ] Nowe H
nowe] omit H bibbe] bibble B W h, fele H 146 bowles]
but H B W h

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 43

such lickour makes men to live,
this game may noewhere be leste.

Prim(us) pastor : ffellowes, nowe our bellyes be full,

thinke we on him that keepes our flockes; 150
blowe thy home and call after Trowle,
and bydd him somme of our byttlockes. ^x

Secund(us) pastor: Well sayd, Hankyn, by my soothe,
for that shrewe, I suppose, vs seekes,
my home to lille I shall not lesse *ss

tyll that lad have some of our leekes.

Tertius pastor : Leekes to his liverye is likinge,
such a lad nowhere in land is.
blowe a note for that meetinge,
whyle that home nowe in thy hand ys. **<>

Primus pastor: With this home I shall make a hooe, [43 b]
that hee and all heaven shall here,
Yonder lad that sittes on a lowe
the lowd of this home shall here.

Tune cantabit, et dicat Garcius:

Good lord, look on mee, 1*5

and my flocke here, as the(y) fed have;

on this wold walke wee,

are no men here that (me wald have).

147 men ] me W h 148 noewhere ] no way H B leste ]

lost B H h, lefte W 149 pastor ] omit H 150 flockes ]

fiheepe H 1B1 call ] blowe W ' 153 pastor ] omit H

154 vs seekes ] seeke us H B, seekes us W h 155 lille ]

by lie B h, tilt H, blowe W lesse ] lette W 157 pastor ]

omit H likinge ] to your lyking H 158 nowhere in land] in

land nowhere H 159 meetinge ] mytting H B W h

160 nowe ] omit H 161 pastor ] omit H 163 sittes ] still

is B 164 lowt ] lowde W h shall ] he shall H B after

164 cantabit ] cantant H dicat Garcius ] venit Gartius H, dicat
Trowle B W h 165 ] H has heading- : Gartius 166 here ]

omit H they ] the D Wr. fed ] f oode H 167 walke wee ]

walke we woe W, walkinge wee h 168 me wald have ] so H,
noe waye D B h, maye W

44 Chester Shepherds Play (II)

All is playne, perdai,

**° therfore, sheepe, we mon goe

noe better may bee
of beast that blood and bonne have.
Wotte I not day or night
necessaryes that to me beelongen :

vs tarboyte and tarboll,—

yee shall here, —

nettle, hemlock, and butter abydinge,
and my good dogge, dottynolle,
that is nothing cheesse of his chydinge.

180 yf any man come mee bye,

And would wytt which waye beste were,
my legge I lifte up whereas I lye,
and wishe him the waye easte and west-where.
And I rose where I laye,

185 me would thinke that travell lost ;

for kinge ne duke, by this daye,
Ryse I will not, but take my rest here.
Nowe will I sitt here adowne,
and pippe at this pott like a pope;

'9° would god that I were downe

harmeles, as I hastelye hope.

169 playne ] plaine plaine H 170 we mon goe ] mon we

good have H 171 may ] then these H 172 of beast ]

added to preceding line Dm. beast ] beastes H B W h 174 bee

longen ] needen H B, ne done W h 175 ] you shall here

sone see in sight of small hannes that to me neden H 176 ]
ye shall see heare W h Tarboist, tarboyle and nettle H fed. Deim-
ling) 176 and 177 ] written as one line in H B h Dm.

177 nettle ] in H added to preceding line. 181 beste were ]

were best Wh 182 whereas] where H, as B W h 183 easte]
by east H where ] omit W 184 where ] when H B W h

185 me] I W h lost] best were H 187 Kyse] Nay H

here] omit W 188] now will I sett me adowne H Nowe

here sitte downe I will W, Nowe here adowne sitt I will h
189-190 ] omit W 191 ] before 189 in h

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 45

Noe man drinke here shall,
save myself, the devyll of the sope.
All this lotte I sett at little-
nay, yee lads, sett I not by yee— 195
for you have I manye a fowle fitt,
thow fowle filth, though thowflytt, Idefyethee!

Prim(us) pastor : Trowle, take tent to my talkinge,
for thy tooth here is good tugginge,
while thy wedders benne walkinge **»

on this loyne thow may have good lugginge.

Garcius : ffye on your loynes and your liverye,
your liveraste, livers, and longes,
your sose, your sowse, your savverraye,
your sittinge withowt any songes. a°5

One this hill I hold mee here,
noe hape to your hot meate have I,
but flyte with my fellowes in feare,
and your sheepe full sycerly save I.

after 191 ] H adds the following two lines :

At me all men lerne mon
this Golgotha grimly to grope

192 drinke here shal J here drink mon H, here shall drink B W,
shall drinke h 194 lotte ] lathes H, lottis B, bottill W h

little ] lyt ? Ed. 195 sett ] kepe B W h by yee ] to lye thee

H B W h 196 I ] omit W h 197 I defye thee ] written

as a separate line in H B h Dm. Deimling has emended and un
consciously follows D ; either Wright made a similar emendation or
Deimling misquotes the MS. 198 pastor] omit H tent] teene

W h 199 tooth J teeth H W, touth B h tugginge] dugging H,
tovginge W, togginge h 201 on] and on W 202 Gar

cius ] Trowle W h 203 liveraste ] ly veras H, lyuerastis B h

204 sose ] sawce H sowse ] lawce H, sawse B h, saustes W
savverraye ] sauerage B H B h Dm. insert and before your sav«
verray 207 your hot ] you what H 208 flyte ] sitte W

feare ] freye W 209 sycerly ] securely B W h save I ]

kepe I h

46 Chester Shepherds' Play (II)

310 Secundus pastor : ifor that thow saves our sheep,

good nave, take keepe!

sythen thow may not sleepe,

come eate of this sowse !
Garcius: Nay, the dyrte is so deepe
«s stopped therin for to steepe,

and the grubbes theron do creepe,

at (home), at thy howse.

Therfore meate, if I may,

of your dightinge todaye,
220 will I nought, by noe waye,

tyll I have my (wage).

I wend to have binne gaye,

but see ! soe ragged is myne araye.

aye pinches is your paye
225 to any poore page.

Tertius pastor : Trowle, boy, for gode tree,

come eate a morsell with me,

and then wrastle will wee

here on this wold.
23° Garcius : That shall I never flee,

though yt bee with all three;

to laye my liverye,

that (wager) will I hold.

210 pastor ] omit H that ] omit B W h 211 take keepe ]

take and keepe H 214 Garcius ] Trowle W h dyrte ] dyrte

therin H so ] to B 215 stopped ] stamped H W 216 do ]
omit H 217 home ] whom D W 218 and 219 ] written

as one line in H as are 220 and 221 220 noe way ] the way B

221 wage] wages D B W h 222 wend] wend or this H B h Dm.
223 but ] omit H B W h 224 pinches ] pynckes H B W h,

pinchinge B 225 any] every H B W h 226 pastor]

omit H gode ] gods H B W h tree ] pitty H, three B, fee W h
228 then ] omit H 229 wold ] greene W h 230 Garcius ]

omit H, Trowle W h, Gartius in B, but crossed out and altered into
Trowle shall ] will H 231 bee ] were H with all ] with

you all H B h Dm. 232 liverye ] liberay H 233 wager ]

omit D, wages B W h

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 47

Tune ibit ad magistros suos, et dicat:

Nowe comes Trowle, the trewe,

a torne to take have I tight *3*

with my masters, or I rewe,

put him forth that most is of might.

Prim(us) pastor: Trowle, better (thou) never knewe,
eate of this meate for a knight.

Garcius: Naye, spare, though I spewe, M«

all upon your heade shall yt light.

Secund(us) pastor : Howe ! should we suffer this shame
of a shrewe thus to be shente?

Tertius pastor : This ladd lusts so to bee lame,

and loose a lymme, or hee went. MS

Garcius: Have donne! beginne wee this game,
but warre lest your golyons glent !
that were little dole to our dame,
though in the myddest of (Dee) yee were
drent.

Primus pastor : Ffalse lad ! fye on thy face ! *5°

on this grownde thow shall have a fall !
hent one ! and hould that thow hasse !
yf thow happe have, all goe to all !

after 233 ibit ] ibunt W magistros ] maistres B, magistrates W
suos ] omit H B W h et dicat ] omit H, et dicat Trowle W
237 most is ] is most H B W h 238 pastor ] omit H thou

never ] never thou Wr. thou ] ther D knewe ] kever H 240
Garcius ] Trowle W h spare ] spare I will H B W h 241 your
heade ] thie head B W h, your heades H shall yt ] it shall
H B h Dm. yt ] omit Wr. 242 pastor ] omit H this ] all

this W h 243 thus] this Wr. 244 pastor] omit H lusts

so ] list H Dm. h, luste Wr., lustis B lame ] lamde W 246
Garcius ] Trowle W h 247 glent ] gleett B W h 248 our ]
your H 249 the ] omit B W h of ] omit B W h Dee ] the

day D yee] they Bh Dm., the Wr. 260 pastor] omit H

253 happe have] haue all haue H

48 Chester Shepherds Play (II)

Garcius : And (here), syrs. (to doe you) solace,
355 Hankyn, sheparde, shame thee I shall ;

wroth thow art worse then thow was.
warre lest thow waiter here by the wall !

Tune proiiciat primum pastorem, et dicat Sec(un)d(us) pastor:

Sec(un)d(us) pastor : Boye, lest I breake thy bones,

kneele downe and axe me a boone,
260 lest I destroy thee here on these stones ;

Sease, lest I shend thee to soone.

Garcius : Gole thee to groyns and grownes !

good were thee thy ould ragges to save soone,
Little dowbt of such drownes,
365 ly ther, tyke, for thy deedes donne.

Tertius pastor : Owt ! alas ! hee lyes on his loynes !
but lett mee goe now to that lad !
sheppardes he shames and shends,
for last now am I owt-shad.

«?o Garcius : Both your backes here to me bendes !
for all your boastes I hould you to bad;
hould your arses and your hinder loynes,
then hope I to have, as I have had,

254 Garcius ] Trowle W h here J this D, these Wr. to doe
you ] here to D Wr. 256 wroth ] worth W h 257 waiter ]
wait H B W h after 257 Tune proiiciat etc. ] tune primus

proiicitur H primum ] primam W h, primus B 258 pastor ]

omit H break ] break there H 261 shend ] shame W h

262 Garcius ] Trowle W h Gole ] gloe W h thee ] that H to ]
so H B h Dm. groynes] grennes H B Wh grownes] groundes W

265 ly ther ] lyther H B W h tyke ] like H donne ] are done
H B W h after 265 H adds (tune 2 us proijicitur.)

266 loynes J rime requires lendes, but rime seems to have been of
secondary importance ! 267 mee ] omit H B h Dm. goe now ]
now goe H 268 shends] shenes B 269 shad] shutt B
270 Garcius ] Trowle W h bendes ] byndes H, bend B 271
boastes ] boast H B W h to ] but H, full B W h 273 I ]
omit H have had ] ere had H Dm., now had B, tofore had Wr.

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 49

the better in the bore,

as I had before, »?s

of this bovearte.

Yea, hope I more,

keepe well thy store,

for feare of a farte.

Tune proijciat tertium pastorem, et dicat Garcius :

lye ther, lither, in the lake! «*»

my liverye nowe will I lach,

this curye, this clowt, and this cake,

for yee be cast, now will I catch.

To the devyll I you all betake,

as traytours attaynt of your tache. **s

on this would, with this will, I (wake,)

all the world wonder on the wache.

Et sic recedat Garcius, et dicat prim(us) pastor :
ffellowes, this a fowle case is,
that wee bine thus cast of a knave,
all agaynst our wille hee has his; *9«

But I must needes hould the harmes that 1

have.
•
S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : That I have needes must I hold. [45tj

of these vnhappie harmes ofte here I,

274 in ] and H 275 ] joined to 274 in B W h, to 276 in H

Dcimling again emends to read with D 276 bovearte ] bosiart H.
boverte W, bovorte h 278 store ] score B h Dm. 277

and 278 -written as one line in B W h after 279 tune proij

ciat etc. ] Tune 3. us. proijcitur H tertium pastorem ] tercius
pastor B et dicat Gartius ] omit H, et dicat Gertius B, et dicat
Trowle W h 281 will I ] I will H B W h 282 curye]

cup H 284 you all ] all yon H B W h 285 as ] and

H B W h attaynt ] taynt H 286 with ] omit fl, on Dm.

wake ] walke D B W h before 288 Et sic etc. ] omit H

Garcius ] Trowle W h pastor ] omit H 289 of ] out of W h

290 wille ] willes B W h 291 harmes ] harm H B W h

292 pastor ] omit H 293 I ] omit H

D

50 Chester Shepherds' Play (II)

therfore will I wayte on this would
295 vpon the wedder, for I am werye.

Tertius pastor : Though wee bine werye, noe wonder,
what betweene wrastling and wakinge!
Ofte wee may bee in thought, we be now

vnder,
god amend hit with his makinge !

Tune sedebunt. et stella apparebit, et dicant

300 Prim(us) pastor : What is all this light here

that blasses soe bright here

on my black beard?

for to see this light here

a man may bee afright here,
305 for I am afeard.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor: ifeard for a fraye nowe
may wee bee all nowe,
and yett it is night,
yett seemes yt day nowe,
3io never, soothly to saye nowe,

see I such a sight.

Tertius Pastor: Such a sight seeminge,
and a light leeminge
lett mee to looke.

294 wayte] weete H 295 the wedder] this would H

2% pastor ] omit H bine ] be H B W h 297 wakinge ] walk
ing B "W h 298 ] ofte maye we be over though we be no
wonder H after 299 stella apparebit] apparebit stella H
et dicat ] omit H, dicant Wr. 300 pastor ] omit H
301 blasses ] shynes H, black is B, blackes W h 303 light ]
sight H 304 and 305 ] -written as one line in H, as are 306
and 307, 312 and 313, 314 and 3/5. 305 afeard] afraid B h Dm.,
freayde Wr. 306 pastor ] omit H ffeard] aferd H, ffreayde W h
308 and] a B W h 310] omit W h 313 leeminge]
gleming H 314 lett ] letts H B W h to ] for to H

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 61

All, to my deeminge, 3««

from a starre streaminge
yt to mee stroake.

Garcius : That starre if it stond
to seeke will I fond,

though my sight fayle mee. 3~

while I may live' in lond,
why should I not fond
yf it will avayle mee?

Tune respiciens firmamentum dicat Garcius :
A ! gode might is,

in yonder starre light is, 3*5

of the sonne this sight is,
as it nowe seemes.

Prim(us) pastor : Hit seemes, as I now see,
a bright starre to bee,

there to abyde. «•

from yt we may not flee,
but aye gloe on the glee,
tyll yt downe glyde.

(Secundus) pastor: ffellowes, will wee [45 b]

kneele downe on our knee, 335

after comford,
to the trewe trinitee,
for to lead vs for to see
our elders'

^

318 Garcius ] Trowle W h J 318 and 319 ] written as one

line in H as are every first and second, every fourth and fifth lines
of all these six-line stanzas. 319 seeke] se H B W h 320 my
sight ] might light W h mee ] omit H B W h 322 not fond ]
stond H, found B W h 323 mee ] omit H B W h before

Garcms] Trowle W h dicat] et dicat Wr. 324 might is]

ZupiizcTsuggcsts mightis 327 seemes] sheines W 328 pastor]
omit H 329 to ] for to H 832 gloe ] glye W h 834

pastor ] omit H 336 comford ] comf ortes W h 388 for

to see ] to see H B W h

D2

52 Cluster Shepherds Play (II)

340 Tertius pastor : Our lord will vs lere,

in our prayer,

wherto yt will apent,

and why on high here

the eare is soe cleare.
345 nowe shall wee bekent.

Garcius: Lord of this light,
send vs some sight
why that it is sent,
before this night,
350 was I never so afright

of the firmament.

Prim(us) pastor : (nor I), by my faye !
nowe is it nigh daye,
so was it never.
355 therfore I praye

the sooth us to saye,
or that we desever.

Tune cantet Angelas : Gloria in excelsis deo, et in terra
pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

(Primus pastor) : ifellowes in feare,

may yee not here
360 this mutinge on (height)?

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : In glore and in glere,
yett noe man was nere
within our sight.

340 pastor ] omit H 341 in ] in this H 342 will ]

well H 343 high ] height H B W h 345 bekent ] be

kent H B W h 346 Garcius ] Trowle W h 347 send ]

guide B W h 348 that ] omit H sent ] fayre H 352 pastor]
omit H nor I ] Ne fye D, wiest I B W h 357 that ] omit H

we ] omit h 358 primus pastor ] omit D H 359 yee ]

you H B W h 360 height ] highe D 361 secundus

pastor ] omit H in glore ] on glore H B, a glore W h in glere ]
on glere H B

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 53

Tertius pastor : Naye, yt was a ' glorye,'

nowe am I sorye 36$

bowt more songe.
Garcius: Of this strange storye

such mirth (more I)

would have amonge.
Prim(us) pastor: as I then deemed, 370

4 selsis ' it seemed

that hee songe soe.
S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor: Whyle the light leemed, [46 a]

a wreakinge mee weened,

I wyst never whoo. 375

Tertius pastor : What song was this, saye yee,

that he sang to vs, all three?

expounded shall yt bee,

erre wee hethen passe;

for I am eldest of degree, 380

and alsoe best, as seemes mee,

hit was 'groy, gloy,' with a 'glee,'

hit was neyther more nor lesse.
Garcius : Nay, yt was 4 gloy, glay, glorius,'

methinke that note went over the howse ; 385

a seemely man he was and curiouse,

but soone awaye hee was.

364 pastor] omit H 365 am I] I am H B W h 366 bowt]
without H, but Wr. 367 Garcius ] Trowle W h 368 more
I ] is merye D 369 would ] I would D H B h 370 pastor ]
omit H then ] them W 371 selsis ] Cselcis H, Selcis B,

SceUsis W h 372 songe ] sang H B W h soe ] omit W

373 pastor] omit H 374 a wreakinge] awwakinge h mee]

we H weened ] deemed h 376 pastor ] omit H 376

and 377 ] written as one line in H as are also 378 and 379 377 he ]
the W, was h sang ] songe h 379 erre ] or H B W h

hethen ] hense Wr. 382 groy gloy ] glorum glarum H, glorie
glare h, glore glare W, glore glore B 384 Garcius] Trowle W h
384-388 ] omit H gloy glay ] glore glore H B glorie glora W,
glori h 386 methinke] methought H B W h went] ronne W h

54 Chester Shepherds' Play (II)

Prim(us) pastor : Nay, yt was ' glory, glay,' with a ; glo,'

and much of ' celsis ' was therto,
390 as ever have I rest [of] woo,

much hee spake of cglas.'

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor: Naye, yt was neyther cglas'

nor ' glye,'
therfore, fellowe, nowe stand bye !

Tertius pastor : By my fayth, hee was some spye
395 our sheepe for to steale;

or elles hee was a man of our crafte,
for seemely hee was and wonders deft.

Garcius: Nay, hee came by night [and] all tninges

lefte,
our tuppes with tarre to teale.

400 Prim(us) pastor : Naye, on a i glow,' and a ' glay,' and

a c gly '

gurd Gabryell, when hee so gloryd,
when hee sange I might not be sorye,
through my brest-bonne bletinge he bored.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : Nay, by god, yt was a ' gloria '
405 sayde Gabryell, when hee sayde soe ;

he had a mych better voyce then I have,
as in heaven all other have soe.

388 primus pastor ] omit H glory glay ] glorum glarum H,
glore glare B, glory glory W, glory glore h 390 of]

or D H B W h wo ] rowe H B W h 392 pastor ] omit H

glye ] glee H B h Dm. 394 pastor ] omit H hee ] it H B

397 wonders ] wondrous H, wonder B W h 398 Garcius ]

Trowle W h came ] come H B W h and ] omit D H B W h
399 teale ] tayle H, tell B W h 400 primus pastor ] omit H

glow] glore H B W h and a glay] on a glory W h, and a glare H
401 gurd ] good H B gloryd ] glored H 403 through ] for

through H B W h bleting ] bloting H bored ] borned B W h
404 pastor ] omit H h god ] my faith H 405 sayde soe ]

sang soe H B h Dm., biganne so Wr. 406 I have ] had I H

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 56

Tertius pastor : Wyll (y)ee here how hee sange ' celsis,'
for on that sadly hee sett him;
nayther singe ' sar,' nor soe well c cis,' 4*0

ney ; pax,' 4 merye mawd when shee had mett
him.'

Garcius: On tyme hee touched on 'tarre,' |46b]

and therto I tooke good intent,
all heaven might not have gonne harre,
that note on high when hee up hent. 415

Prim(tis) pastor: and after a 'pax,' or of peace,
up as a pye hee pyped,
such a loden — this is noe lesse—
never in my life me so lyked.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : Upon c hominibus ' he muted, 4>o
that much mervayle to mee was ;
and aye I quoked when he so whewted,
I durst not hede wher that y t was

Tertius pastor : Yett, yett, hee sange more then all this,

for some word is worthy a forder, 4*5

for hee sange 4bon« voluntatis,'
that is a cropp that passeth all other.

408 pastor ] omit H yee ] hee D, you H B W k 410 Sar ]
sir W h singe ] sang H B h Dm., singes Wr. 411 ney ]

ner H B W h had] so W 412 Garcius ] Trowle W h on]

upon H B W h tarre ] terre W h 413 and ] on H therto ]

ther H 415 high ] height H B W h up hent ] had howted H
416 a ] of H B W h 417 a] omit H W h 418 loden ]

ledden H B h Dm., loden Wr. this] that Wr. lesse] lasHBhDm.
420 pastor ] omit H hominibus ] omnibus B W h 422 aye ]

ever W h quoked ] quock H when ] while H he ] the Wr.
whewted ] shewted H B W h 423 not ] not not W hede j

here H yt ] I H B W h 424 pastor ] omit H yett yett ]

yett W 426] ffro my mynde it shall not starte W

worthy ] worth H B W h forder ] foder B W h, founder H
426 bonse ] bone H B, bene W, bout bone h 427 passeth ]

past H

56 Chester Shepherds Play (II)

Garcius : Yett and yett, hee sange more to,
from my mynde yt shall not starte,

430 hee sange alsoe of a c deo,'

methought that heled my harte.
And that word ' terra ' hee tamed,
therto I .toke good intent,
and 'pax' alsoe may not be blamed,

435 for that to this songe I assent.

Prim(us) pastor: Nowe pray wee to him, with good

intent,

and singe I will and me v(n)brace,
that hee will lett vs to be kent,
and to send vs of his grace.

4«° S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : Nowe syth I have all my will,
— never in this world soe well I was —
singe wee nowe, I rede vs, shryll
a mery songe vs to solace.

Garcius: Singe we nowe — lett see —
445 some song will I assaye;

all men nowe singes after mee,

for musicke of mee learne yee may.

Tune cantabunt, et postea dicat terti(us) pastor :
(here singe twoly, loly, loly^ lo.)

428 Garcius] Trowle W h and] omit W h 429 shall]

may H 432 terra] tarre B 435 that to this song] that

song to this H 436 pastor ] omit H 437 unbrace ] um-

brace D, imbrace W h 440 pastor ] omit H 441 never ]

for never H B W h I was ] hasste B, hase W h 444 Gar

cius ] Trowle W h Singe we nowe ] now sing on H lett ] let
us H B, lettes Wr. 445 will I ] I will H 446 nowe ]

omit H after 447 Tune cantabunt etc. ] Tune omnes pastores
cum aliis adiuvantibus cantabunt hilare carmen H cantabunt]
cantabit B tertius pastor ] Trowle W here singe twoly loly
loly lo] omit H, sing tooly holy holy loo B, singe troly loly
troly loe W, Singe troly loly lo h

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 57

(Tertius pastor:) Nowe wend we forth to Bethlem,
that is best our songe to bee,
for to see the starre gleme, 4s«

the fruyt alsoe of that mayden free.

Prim(us) pastor : Nowe followe we the starre that shines, [47 a)
tyll we come to that holy stable :
to Bethlem bend the lymes,
followe we yt, withowt any fable. 455

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : ffolowe we hit and hyes full

fast,

such a frend loth vs were to fayle;
launche on! I will not be the last
upon Marye for to mervayle.

Hie vadunt versus Bethlem.

Terti(us) pastor : Stynt nowe, goe no moe steppes ! 460
for now the starre beginneth to stand.
Harvye, that good bene our happes
we scene by our Savyour fonde.

Hie apparet Angelus et dicat : Sheppardes, of this sight

be ye not afright, 465

for this is gode might,
takes this in mynde.

448 tertius pastor ] omit all MSS ; in H, therefore, this speech is
assigned to Garcius. 449 that] this Wr. 450 gleme] gleene
in h, cleane may W 451 alsoe ] omit W h 452 pastor ]

omit H nowe ] and nowe H shines ] shyneth Wr. 454 bend ]
boyn B h, bonne W the ] we our H B W h lymes ] lynes H,
lymis B W h 456 pastor ] omit H and ] that H hyes ]

hyeth H full ] so H 457 vs were ] were us H B h Dm., us Wr.
after 459 Hie ] Tune H, Hinc W 460 pastor ] omit H nowe ]
omit H 461 beginneth j begins H B W h 462 Harvye ]

here by B, here we H good ] before happes W h 463 seene ]
see H B W h by ] by this H fonde ] is found H B W h after
463 Hie ] Et H, hoc B apparet ] apparebit H, appariet B W h
et dicat ] omit H 464 and 465 ] -written as one line in H as are
466 and 467, 468 and 469, 470 and 471. 465 ye ] you H B W h
466 gode ] godes H B W h 467 takes ] take Wr.

58 Chester Shepherds' Play (II)

To bethlem (goe) nowe right,
there yee shall see in sight
470 that Christ is borne tonight

to cover all mankynde.

Garcius: To bethlem take wee the waye,
for with you I think to wend,
that prince of peace for to pray,
475 heaven to have at our ende.

And singe we all, I (redd,)
some myrth to his maiestee,
for certayne now see wee it indeede,
the kinge sone of heaven is hee.

[Scene 2J

48o Prim(us) pastor : Simm, Sym, securlye,
here I see Marye
and Jesus Christ fast bye,
lapped in haye.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor: Kneele we downe in hye,
485 and praye we him of mercye,

and welcome him worthelye,
that woe does awaye.

T(e)rtius pastor : Awaye all our woe ys

and many man's moe *ys,
49o Christ, lord, lett vs kys

the cratch or the clothes.

468 goe] omit D B W, wende li 469 yee shall ] shall you H,
you shall B W h 471 cover ] ken B W h 472 Garcius ]

Trowle W h 473 wende] wynde H B W h 476 redd]

wend D 478 see wee ] we see B, sheewe W h 479 kinge ]
kinges H B W h 480 and 481 written as one line in H, as

are each pair of lines thereafter through line 4Q5. 480 securlye ]

soundlie H, sickerlye W h 484 pastor ] omit H, here and in

all the following headings. 491 the ] thy H B W h

Chester Shepherds Play (H) 59

Garcius: Solace no we to see this
bylde in my brest blys,
never after to do amys
thing that him loth ys. 495

Prim(us) pastor : Whatever this ould man that here is,
take heede how his head ys whore,
his beard is like a buske of bryers,
with a pound of heare about his mouth and
more.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : More ys this marveyle to mee nowe, 500
for to nappe greatly him needes;
hartles is hee nowe,
for aye to his heeles hee heedes

Terti(us) pastor: Why! with his berde though hit be

rough,

right well to her hee (heedes), 505

worthye wight, witt would wee nowe:
wyll ye warne vs, worthye in weedes?

Maria: Sheppardes, sothlye I see

that my sonne you hyther sent,

through gode might in maistye, 5*0

that in me light and here is lent.

This man maryed was to mee

for noe sinne in such assent,

but to keepe my virginitee,

and truly in non other intent. 515

492 Garcius ] Trowle W h 495 thing ] tliinges W h

498 is ] omit H 501 him ] he H greatly him ] him greatly B
503 his] he B W h heedes] head is H, hidis B 504 be

rough] hydes Wr. 505 heedes] hydes D W h, hudis B

506 nowe ] omit B W h 507 ye ] me B, we W h worthye ]

worthelie B in weedes ] omit B W h 508 and 509 etc. ]

each pair -written as one line down to 5/5, in H 510 gode ] gods

H B W h 511 in me ] me in H lent ] tent H 513 in ]

ner H B W h 515 in ] for W h

60 Chester Shepherds' Play (II)

Joseph : Good men, Moyses take in mynde,

as he was made through god all-might,

ordayned lawes vs to bynde,

w(hi)ch that wee should keepe of (right),

s«o man and woman for to bynde,

lawefully them both to light,
to fructifye, as men may fynde,
that tyme was wedded every wight.
Therfore wedded to her I was,

sts as lawe would, her for to lere,

for noyse nor slander nor trespasse,
and through that deede the devill to dere,
as tould me Gabriell, full of grace,
when I had trussed all my gere,

530 to have fled and to have never seene her face,

by him was I arested there,
ffor hee sayde to me sleepinge,
that shee lackles was of sinne ;
and when I hard that tokeninge,

535 from her durst I not wave twynne.

Therfore goes forth and preach this thinge,
all together and not in twynne,
that you have seene your heavenly kinge
common all mankynde to wynne.
[48a] Prim(us) pastor: Great god, syttynge in thy troone,

541 that made all thinge of nought,

nowe wee may thanke thee eychone ;
this is hee that wee have sought.

516 take ] takes H B W h 518 vs ] as H B W h

519 which ] wth D right ] wight D 526 nor ] or H, and B

527 dere ] dare Wr. 530 to have never seene ] never to see

H B h Dm., never to have seen Wr. her ] his B 535 not ]

no H B waye] omit W h 536 forth] omit H B h Dm. and]
omit H B W h preach ] preach forth H B W h 539 all ] one
all B h, and all "W wyniie] mynd B, myne W h 541 thinge ]
thinges B W h 542 nowe ] omit H 543 here is ] this

is BW, for thou arte h

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) tfi

S(e)c(un)d(m) pastor : Goe wee neere anone,

with such as we have brought, 545

ringe, brooche, or, preciouse stone,

lett see whether we have ought to proffer.

Terti(us) pastor : Lett us doe him homage !
Prim(us) pastor : Whoe shall goe first, the page ?
S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : Nay, yee be father in age, 550

therfore ye must first offer.

Prim(us) pastor : Hayle, kinge of heavon soe hye,
borne in a cribbe !
mankynd unto thee

thow hast made full sybbe. &

Hayle, kynge borne in a maydens bowre.
profette did tell thou should be our soccour,
this clarkes do saye.
loe! I bringe thee a bell,

I praye thee save me from hell, &

for that I may with thee dwell,
and serve thee for aye.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : Hayle the, Emperour of hell,
and of heaven als !

the feynd shall thow fell, 565

that ever hath binne fals.

546 brooche] brush H B W h or ] ner W h 547 lett ]

lets H, Lett us W h whether ] yf W h to proffer ] Deimling
says " unnecessary and spoiling the rime, but in all four manuscripts."
If we do not retain it, however, we have no word to rime with line
551, and if we do retain it we have the effect of a rime with 543 in
'ought,' As all the manuscripts include it I see no reason for discard
ing it. 549 goe first ] f urst goe H 550 yee ] you H B h Dm.
father ] fathers fl B h Dm. in ] of H B W h 551 ye must ]

must you H first ] omit W h 552 and 553 ] written as one

line in H, as are each succeeding pair through line 577. 554 unto ]
to H 555 f ull ] all H, fullye W h sybbe ] omit W h

558 do ] doth H B W h 560J omit H 561 for] so H B W h
562 serve thee ] fare well H aye ] ever W 564 als ] alsoe D
565 shall thow] shall thee Wr., thou shalt H B h Dm. fell ] fall H

62 Chester Shepherds Play (II)

Hayle the, maker of the star[n]e,

that stoode vs beforne!

hayle the, blessede-full (barne)
570 that ever was borne !

Loe, sonne! I bringe thee a flackett,

therby hanges a spoone,

for to eat thy pottage with at noone,

as I myself full ofte tymes have donne.
575 with hart I pray thee to take yt.

Terti(us) pastor : Hayle, prince withowten any pere,

that mankynde shall releeve !

hayle the, fooe vnto lucyfere,

the w(hi)ch beguyled Eve!
58o Hayle the, graunter of (happe) !

for one yearth now thow dwelles.

loe, sonne ! I bringe the a cappe,

for I have nothinge elles.

This gifte, sonne, that I give thee ys but smalle,
585 and though I come the hyndmost of all,

when thow shalt men to thy blys call,

Good lord, yett thinke on mee.
[48 b] Garcius: My deare, with dryrie vnto thee I mee dresse,

my state on felloweshippe that I doe not lose,

567 starne] star D H B W h 569 barne ] baronne D

570 ] omit B W h, added to line 569 in H 571 Loe sonne ]

omit H flackett ] flaggette W h, flasket H 572 therby ] and
thereat H hanges ] omit H 573 for ] omit H B W h with ]

withall H W h 574 full ] omit B tymes ] omit H have ]

hath H B W h 575 to ] omit H, for to B yt ] omit W

576 any ] omit H 578 the fooe ] soe H, thee froo W h

579 which] wth D 580 the] omit H happe] hope D B,

happes H 581 for one] in H B Wh 584] To offer unto
thee this gifte, sonne, f orsoth it is but small H son, that ] omit
B W h I give ] I bring Wr. 585 and ] omit H come ] came
H B W h hyndmost ] hyndermost H, last h 586 men ]

them Wr. 587 yett ] then H B W h 588 Garcius ]

Trowle W h dryrie ] drury H B h, dutye W 589 state ]

flote H on ] and W h not lose ] no lesse H

Chester Shepherds1 Play (II) 68

and for to save mee from all yll sicknesse, 5*>
I offer vnto thee a payre of my wyves ould

hose;

ffor other Jewells, my sonne,
have I none thee for to give,
that is worthe anythinge at all,
but my good harte, whyle I lyve, 595

and my prayers tyll death doth me call.

The first boy : Nowe to you, my fellowes, this doe I

saye;

for in this place, or that I wynde awaye,
vnto yonder chyld lett vs goe praye,
as our masters have donne vs beforne. 6<*>

The second boye : And of such goode as wee have

here,

lett us offer to this prince so dere,
and to his mother, that mayden clere,
that of her body hasse (him) borne.

The first boye : Abyde, syrres ! I will goe first to yonder 6oS

kinge.

The second boye: and I will go next to that lordinge.

The thyrd boye : Then will I be last of this offeringe.
this can I saye, noe more.

590 and ] omit Wr. for ] omit H 591 unto ] to H 592

and 593 written as one line in H B W h 592 Jewells ] Jewell H.
dremes W my ] omit H 593 have I ] I have H B W h

thee] omit H B W h 5% doth] do H B W h 597-640]

omit H 597 yon ] om it W h doe ] will W h 598 or

that ] before B wynde ] wende B W h 599 pray ] and

pray W h 600 have] hath Wr. beforne] before BWh

601 goode ] goodes BWh 604 him ] her D, bene W

hasse ] hade Wr. 605 firste boye ] thirde boye h abyde ] A

by B, I] and I h 607 will I be] wilbe I W last] the

last BWh

64 Chester Shepherds' Play (II)

The first boye : Nowe, lord, for to give thee have I

nothinge,

610 neyther gold, silver, brooch, ore ringe,

nor noe rich robes meete for a kinge,
that I have here in store.
But though hit lacke a stopple,
take thee here my well fayre bottle,
*«s for yt will hold a good pottle ;

in fayth, I can give thee noe more.

The second boye: Lord, I knowe that thow art of this

virgine borne,

in full poore araye sittinge one her arme,

for to offer to the have I noe skorne,
«*o althoo thou be but a child.

ffor lewell have I none to give thee,

to mayntayne thy royall dignitye,

but my hood take yt thee,

as thow art god and man.
6,5 The thyrd boye : O ! noble child of thy father on hye,

alas ! what have I for to give thee ?

save only my pipe that soundeth so royallye,

elles truely have I nothinge at all.

Were I in the rocke or in the valey a-lowe,
63o I could make this pipe sound, I swere,

that all the world should ringe,

and quaver as yt would fall.

(309 boye ] plaie W 610 ore ] nor B W h 618 though

hit lacke ] that yt lackes Wr. 614 fayre ] omit W 617 I

know that ] omit W h this ] the h 619 have I ] I have

B W h 621 lewell ] Jewells B 622 to ] for to W h

623 take ] thou take B, then take h Wr., that take Dm. 625
thy father on hye ] the B W h 626 to give j omit B W h

thee ] at beginning of 627 in B 627 that soundeth so royallye ]
omit B W h 628 have I ] omit B W h at all ] omit B W h

629 the valey alowe ] omit B W h 630 sound I swere ]

omit B W h 631 world ] wood B W h ringe ] at beginning of
632 in B 632 quaver] quiver B W h would fall] were B Wh

Chester Shepherds1 Play (II) 65

Thejiii loye: Nowe, chyld, although thou be commen

from God,

and bee thyselfe god in thy manhoode,
yett I knowe that in thy chyldhood 635

thow will for sweetmeat looke.
To pull downe apples, payres, and ploomes,
ould Joseph shall not neede to hurte his

(thombes),

because thow haste not plentye of cromes,
I give thee here my nut hooke. 64<>

Prim(us) pastor : Nowe fare well, mother and maye,
for of synne nought thow wottest;
thow hast brought forth this daye
gode sonne, of might is most.
Wherfore men shall saye 645

4 blessed,' in every coast and place,
be hee memoriall for vs all,
and that wee may from synne fall,
and stand ever in his grace,
our lord god bee with thee !

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor: Brethren, lett vs all three
singing walke homwardlye ;
vnkynd will I never in noe case bee,
but preach all that I can and knowe,
As Gabryell taught by his grace mee,
singinge awaye, hethen will I [no we].

634 thyselfe god ] god thyself B W h 636 will ] wilt B W h
637 apples payres ] peares appells B 638 thombes ] handes D B
639 not ] no h 640 nut hooke ] millhook B 644 Gode J

Gods H B W h of might ] which of might H, of mightest B W
h most] mast H 647 hee] thou H B h, you W for vs]

for me and for us H B W h 648 and ] so H B 649 his ]

thy H B W h 652 homwardlye ] homewardes B H W h

653 never ] omit B W h 654 all ] ever H B W h knowe ]

cryeJH B W h 656 awaye ] alway H hethen ] hense Wr.

E

66 Chester Shepherds3 Play (II)

Terti(us) pastor : Over the sea, and I may have grace,
I will gange and goe about nowe,
to preach this thinge in every place,
660 and sheepe will I keepe no more nowe.

Garcius: I read, wee vs agree

for our mysdeedes amendes to make,
for soe now will I,

and to the chyld I wholey mee betake
665 for aye, securelye.

sheppardes craft I forsake,

and to an anker hereby

I will, in my prayers (to) wach and wake.

Prim(us) pastor : And I (am) hermitte,
6?° to prayse god, to praye,

to walke by stye and by streytt,

in wildernes to walke for aye ;

and I shall noe man meete

but for my living I shall him praye,
675 barefoote one my feete,

and thus will I live ever and aye.
[49 b] ffor aye, ever, and alwayse,

this world I fully refuse,

my mysse to amend with monys.
680 turne to thy fellowes and kys!

658 gange ] henge W goe about ] about goe H B W h 659
thing ] omit H B W h 660 no more ] non B W h 661 Gar
cius ] Trowle W h agree ] gree H 663 will I ] I will W 664
And to ] to H the ] that Wr. I wholey ] whollie will I H Br
whollye Wr. 665 aye securelye ] ever sickerly H B W h

666 I ] heere I H B W h 668 in ] to H to ] omit D W h

669 am ] an D H hermitte ] heare meke W 670 to ] and h

praye ] paye H B W 671 walke ] wake H stye ] style W

and by] and W 672 for aye] ever W 673 shall]

will W 674 shall] will H him] them Wr. 675 bare

foote ] bare-f oted H 676 thus ] this Wr. 677 and al

wayse ] onys W B h, and honestlie H 678 fully ] will H

679 to] for to H 680] omit H

Chester Shepherds' Play (II) 67

I yelde, for in youth
we have bine fellowes, I-wys,
therfore lend me your mouth,
and frendly let vs kysse.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor : ffrom london to lowth,

such an other shepperd I wott not where is.

both frend and cowth

god grant you all his blys !

Tertius Pastor: To that blys bringe you,
great god, if that thy will bee !
Amen all singe you,
good men fare well yee!

Garcius: Well for to fare, eych frend,
god of his might graunt you !
for here now we make an ende,
farewell, for wee from you goe now.

finis Septim(se) pagin(ae).

681 for] and H in] in my H B W h 683 me] us B W h
mouth] mouthes H 685 lowth] such H 686 such]

omit H wott not ] not B W h where ] were Wr. is ] omit
B W h 687 frend ] fremd H h Dm., framed Wr. Tremed B
cowth ] cought H 688 grant ] geve H all his blys ] Amen

Wr. 689 you] us H 690 great god] added to 689 in H,

god graunt B that ] it H B h Dm., omit Wr. 691 ] amend

all thinges that be amisse H, all ] omit B h Dm. 692 men J

men now H fare ] fares Wr. yee ] omit B W h 693 fare ]

fayer B 695 for] and B 696 from you goe now] goe

from you now W Septimoe paginse] Septima pagina D,

paginae septimae H W h, omit B W h add deo gracias W adds
per me Georgi Bellin 1592 W h add Come lord lesu, Come
quicklye h adds 1600

E 2

NOTE ON THE TEXT
OF THE COVENTRY PLAYS

The manuscript of the Coventry Plays abounds in con
tractions and abbreviations. In this text all are expanded,
and the manuscript form noted in the variants, except in
the case of the following very common abbreviations, where
I have reversed the process, and only noted the occurrence
of the full, uncontracted form:

& for and,

co „ cion,

y „ th, (in the, this, then, ther, thi, tho, etc.)

x „ sh,

wt „ with.

Final e, er, ur, es, are denoted by various flourishes ; n and
m after a vowel by a circumflex accent.

In the variants the readings of Halliwell's edition are denoted
by H, and Kolbing's suggested emendations (Engl. Stud. 21.
166) by K.

Brackets [ ] denote my own emendations ; parentheses ( )
denote expansions of abbreviations.

[PLAY] 11. [THE INCARNATION.] [58 b]

[Scene 1 : The Council in Heaven.]

Contemplation : ffowre thowsand sex undryd foure geres,

I telle,

man ffor his offens and ffowle foly
hath loyn geres in the peynes of helle,
and were wurthy to ly therin endlesly ;
But thanne shulde perysche gour grete mercy. 5
good Lord, have on man pyte ;
haue mende of the prayour seyd by Ysaie—
lete mercy meke thi hyest mageste —

wolde God thu woldyst breke thi hefne myghtye

and com down here into erth, I0

and levyn geres thre and threttye,

thyn famy[sch]t ffolke with thi fode to fede.

To staunche th[eir] th[yr]st lete thi syde blede,

ifor erst wole not be mad redempcion.

Cum vesyte vs in this tyme of nede ; IS

of thi careful creatures, Lord, haue compassyon.

A! woo to vs wrecchis, if wrecchis be,

ffor God hath addyd ssorwe to sorwe.

I prey the, Lord, thi sowlys com se,

how thei ly and sobbe for syknes and sorwe ; *<>

with thi blyssyd blood ffrom balys hem borwe,

thy careful creaturys cryenge in captyvyte,

1 geres ] omit K 5 and 12 ] MS has full forms thanne

and thyn. 12 f amyscht ] famyt MS H 13 their] thi

MS H thyrst ] thryst MS H 17 if ] crossed out and that

substituted in MS, that H 20 for syknes and sorwe] crossed

out and bothe eve and morwe substituted in MS H, but see note on
source of II. 17-18 21 balys ] babys H 22 ] MS has full

form thy

72 Coventry Incarnation (1)

A ! tary not, gracious Lord, tyl it be to-morwe !
The devyl hath dysceyved hem be his iniquite.

25 A ! q(uo)d Jeremye, who shal gyff wellys to myn

eynes,

that I may wepe bothe day and nyght
to se cure bretheryn in so longe peynes?
[59 a j here myschevys amende may thi meche myght!

As grett as the se, Lord, was Adamys contryssyon

ryght ;
30 ffrom oure hed is falle the crowne;

man is comeryd in synne. I crye to thi sy^ht :
Gracyous Lord, gracyous Lord, gracyous Lord, come
downe !

Virtutes : Lord, plesyth it thin hyg domynacion

on man that thu made to haue pyte.
35 Patryarchys and p(ro)phetys han made supply-

cacion,

oure offyse is to presente here p(re)yeres to the ;
Aungelys, Archaungelys, we thre
that ben in the fyrst ierarchie,
ffor man to thin hy mageste
40 mercy ! mercy ! mercy ! we crye.

The aungel, Lord, thu made so gloryous,
whos synne hath mad hym a devyl in helle,
he mevyd man to be so contraryous;
man repented, and he in his obstynacye doth dwelle.
45 hese grett males, good Lord, repelle,
and take man onto thi grace ;
lete thi mercy make hym with aungelys dwelle,
of Locyfere to restore the place.

25 and 35 ] MS has contractions qd and pphetys 25 eynes ]

eynos MS, corrected by later hand 36 preyeres ] pyeres MS the ]
MS has f till form 46 onto] Oil to MS H

Coventry Incarnation (I) 73

Pater: PROPTER MISERIAM 1NOPUM WTNrrpXTTpr AM

ET GEMITUM PAUPERUM
flfor the wretchydnes of the nedy,
and the porys lamentacion,
now shal I ryse that am Almyghty.
tyme is come of reconsyliacion.
my p(ro)phetys with prayers haue made suppli- [59 b]

cacion ;

my contryte creaturys crye all for comforte ;
all rrtyn aungellys in hefne, withowte cessacion, 55
they crye that grace to man myght exorte.

Veritas : Lord, I am thi dowtere Trewthe,
thu wilt se I be not lore,
thyn vnkynde creatures to save were rewthe,
the offens of man hath grevyd the sore. 60

whan Adam had synnyd, thu seydest yore,
that he shulde deye and go to helle,
and now to blysse hym to restore!
twey contraryes mow not togedyr dwelle.

Thy trewthe, Lord, shall leste withowtyn ende,

I may in no wyse ffro the go ;

that wretche that was to the so vnkende,

he may not haue to meche wo ;

he dyspysyd the and plesyd thi ffo.

thu art his creatour and he is thi creature : 70

thu hast lovyd trewthe, it is seyd evyrmo,

therfore in peynes lete hym evyrmore endure.

Mi(sericordi)a : O Fadyr of mercy, and God of com
forte !
that counselle us in eche trybulacion,

53 prophetys] jjphetys 56, 59, 60 J MS has full forms they,
thyn, the 73 Misericordia ] mia MS

74 Coventry Incarnation (I)

75 lete gour dowtere, mercy, to gow resorte,

and on man that is myschevyd haue compassyon ?
hym grevyth fful gretly his transgressyon.
all hefne and erthe crye ffor mercy;
[60 a] me semyth th[er] shuld be non excepcion,
so ther prayers ben offeryd so specyally.

Trewthe sseyth she hath e.vyr be, than
I graunt it wel she hath be so ; [man,

and thu seyst endlesly that mercy thu hast kept ffor
than, mercyabyl Lorde, kepe us bothe to.
85 Thu seyst : Veritas mea et mi(sericordi)a mea cum ip(s)o,
Suffyr not thi sowlys, than, in sorwe to slepe.
that helle hownde, that hatyth the, byddyth hym ho,
thi love, man, no lengere lete hym kepe.

Justicia : Mercy, me merveylyth what gow movyth.
90 ge know wel I am gour systere, Ryghtwysnes.

god is ryghtful and ryghtffulnes lovyth,

man offendyd hym that is endles,

Therfore his endles punchement may nevyr sees;

also he forsoke his makere that made hym of clay,
95 and the devyl to his mayster he ches ;

shulde he be savyd ? Nay ! Nay ! Nay !

As wyse as is God he wolde a-be ;

this was the abhomynabyl p(re)sumpcion.

it is seyd, ge know wel this of me,
ioo that the ryghtwysnes of God hath no diffynicion.

Therfore late this be oure conclusyon :

he that sore synnyd ly stylle in sorwe;

he may nevyr make a seyth be resone,
104 whoo myght thanne thens hym borwe ?

79 ther] thi MS H 81 Trewthe] Threwthe MS H

84, 85, 86] MS has full forms than, thu, than. 85 miseri-

cordia] mTa MS ipso] ipb MS 93, 101, 104] MS has full

forms therfore, thanne, thens.

Coventry Incarnation (I) 75

Mi(sericordi)a : SystyrRyghtwysnes, ge are to vengeabyl ; [60 b]
Endles synne God endles may restore,
above all hese werkys God is mercy abyl;
thow he forsook God be synne, be feyth he forsook

hym never the more,
and thow he p(re)sumyd nevyr so sore,
ge must consyder the frelnes of mankende. »o

lerne, and ge lyst, this is Goddys lore:
the mercy of God is withowtyn ende.

Pax: To spare gour speches, systeres, it syt.
It is not onest in vertuys to ben dyscencion,
the pes of God ovyrcomyth all wytt. »*5

yow, Trewthe and Ryght, sey grett resone,
gett Mercy seyth best to my plesone ;
ffor yf mannys sowle shulde abyde in helle,
betwen God and man evyr shulde be dyvysyon,
and than myght not I, Pes, dwelle. "°

Therefore me semyth best ge thus acorde —

than hefne and erthe ge shal qweme —

putt bothe gour sentens in oure Lorde,

And in his hyg wysdam lete hym deme;

This is most syttynge me shulde seme. **s

And lete se how we fTowre may all abyde—

that mannys sowle it shulde p(er)ysche it wore sweme,

or that ony of vs ffro othere shuld dyvyde.

Veritas: In trowthe, hereto I consente ;

I wole prey oure Lorde it may so be. 130

Justicia: I, Ryghtwysnes, am wele contente,

ifor in him is very equyte.

105 Misericordia ] mTa MS 109 presumyd] psumed MS

115, 120, 121, 125] MS has full forms: the, than, therefore, thus,
and this 127 perysche] pysche MS

76 Coventry Incarnation (I)

[61 a] Mi(sericordi)a : and I, Mercy, ffro this counsel wole not fle

tyl wysdam hath seyd I shal ses.
135 Pax : here is God now, here is vynte ;
hefne and erthe is plesyd with pes.

Ffilius: I thinke the thoughtys of pes, and nowth of

wykkydnes ;

this I deme to ses gour contraversy :
If Adam had not deyd peryschyd had ryghtwysnes,
MO And also Trewthe had be lost therby.
Trewth and Ryght wolde chastyse Ffoly ;
giif another deth come not Mercy shulde perysche,
Then Pes were exyled ffynaly.
so tweyn dethis must be, gow fowre to cherysche.

MS But he that shal deye ge must knawe,
that in hym may ben non iniquyte,
that helle may holde hym be no lawe,
but that he may pas at hese lyberte.
qwere swyche on [is], p(ro)vyde and se

150 and hese deth for mannys dethe shal be redempcion.
all hefne and erthe seke now ge.
plesyth it gow this conclusyon?

[Scene 2 : The Same.]

Veritas : I, Trowthe, haue sowte the erthe without and

withinne,

and, in sothe, ther kan non be fownde
155 that is of o day byrth, withowte synne,
nor [that to] deth wole be bownde.

133 Misericordia ] Mia MS 138] MS has full form this

149 is ] his MS provyde ] pvyde MS 156 that to ] to that

MS H

Coventry Incarnation (1) 77

Mi(sericordi)a : I, Mercy, haue ronne the hevynly re-

gyon rownde,

and ther is non of that charyte,
that ffor man wole suffre a deddly wounde.
I can nott wete how this shal be. 160

Justicia: Sure, I can fynde non sufficient, [61 b)

ffor servauntys vnprofytabyl we be eche on.

[T]he love nedyth to be ful ardent,

that for man to helle wolde gon.
Pax: That God may do is non but on, 165

therefore this is be hys avyse,

he that gaff this counsell, lete hym geve the comferte
alon,

ffor the conclusyon in hym of all these lyse.

Ffilius: It peyneth me that man I mad,

That is to seyn, peyne I must suffre sore. 170

A counsel of the Trinite must be had,

whiche of vs shal man restore.
Pater: In gour wysdam, son, man was mad thore,

And in wysdam was his temptacion,

therfore, sone, sapyens ge must ordeyn herefore, 175

and se how of man may be salvacion.

Ffilius: ffadyr, he that shal do this must be bothe

God and man,

lete me se how I may were that wede,
and syth in my wysdam he began,
I am redy to do this dede. xso

Sp(irit)us S(an)c(t)us : I, the Holy Ghost, of gow tweyn

do p(ro)cede.
this charge I wole take on me—

160 I] Ii MS 163 the] he MS 164] MS has full

form that 181 ] MS has full form the spiritus Sanctus ]

Spus Sciis MS precede] pcedeMS 182] MS has full form this

78 Coventry Incarnation (I)

I, Love, to gour lover shal gow lede ;
this is the assent of oure vnite.

[62 a] Mi(sericordi)a : Now is the loveday of us fowre, fynialy,
Now may we love in pes, as we were wonte.
Misericordia et Veritas obviauerunt sibi,
Justicia et Pax osculatfae] sunt.

Et hie osculabunt pariter omnes.

Pater: ffrom vs God, aungel Gabryel, thu shalt be sende
Into the countre of Galyle—
the name of the cyte Nazareth is kende —
190 to a mayd, weddyd to a man is she,
of whom the name is Joseph, se,
of the hous of Davyd bore,
the name of the mayd fifre
is Mary, that shal al restore.

195 Ffilius : Say that she is withowte wo, and ful of grace,
And that I, the son of the godhed, of here shal be bore,
hyge the, thu were there apace,
Ellys we shal be there the beffore,
I haue so grett hast to be man thore,

200 In that mekest and purest virgyne.
sey here she shal restore
of gow aungellys the grett ruyne.

[62b] Sp(irit)us S(an)c(t)us :

and if she aske the how it myfght] be,
telle here I, the Holy Gost, shal werke al this ;
205 Sche shal be savyd thorwe oure vnyte.
In tokyn, here bareyn cosyn Elyzabeth is
qwyk with childe, in here grett age, i-wys.
seye here, to vs nothynge impossyble ;
here body shal be so fulfylt with blys,
210 that she shal sone thynke this sownde credyble.

186b osculatse ] osculate MS H 189, 193, 197, 198, 204] MS
has full forms the, there, and this 203 myght] myth MS H

Coventry Incarnation (I) 79

Gabriel: In thyn hey inbasset, lord, I shal go
it shal be do with a thought,
beholde now, lord, I go here to,
I take my fflyth and byde nowth.

[Scene 3 : The Annunciation.]

AVE MARIA, GRATIA PLENA, DOMINUS TECUM.
Heyl, fful of grace ! god is with the ! «s

amonge all women blyssyd art thu !
here this name Eva is turnyd Ave,
that is to say withowte sorwe ar ge now.

Thow sorwe in gow hath no place,

gett of joy, lady, ge nede more, «°

Therfore I adde and sey fful of grace, [63 a]

ffor so ful of grace was nevyr non bore.

gett who hath grace, he nedyth kepyng sore,

therfore I sey god is with the,

whiche shal kepe gow endlesly thore, «s

so amonge all women blyssed ar ge.

Maria : A ! mercy, god ! this is a mervelyous thynge,
In the aungelys wordys I am trobelyd her,
I thynk how may be this gretynge.
Aungelys dayly to me doth aper, 230

But not in the lyknes of man that is my fere,
and also thus hygly to commendyd be
and am most unwurthy, I can not answere,
grett shamfastnes and grett dred is in me.

Gabryel: Mary, in this take ge no drede, 335

ffor at god grace ffownde haue ge.

211, 215, 216, 217, 219] MS has full forms', thyn, thee, thu,
this, thow 227 thynge ] herynge MS H 232 ] MS

has full form thus 233 unwurthy ] unwirthy H

80 Coventry Incarnation (1)

ge shal conceyve in gour wombe, indeede,
a childe, the sone of the trynyte ;
[63 b] his name of gow ih(es)u clepyd shalbe;

he shal be grett, the son of the hyest, clepyd of
240 kende,

and of his ffadyr davyd the lord shal geve hym

the se,

Reynyng in the hous of Jacob, of which regne shal
be n(o) end.

Maria-. Aungel, I sey to gow,

in what maner of wyse shal this be?
245 ffor knowyng of man I have non now :

I have evyrmore kept and shal my virgynyte,
I dowte not the worde^s ge han seyd to me,
But I aske how it shal be do.

Gabryel: The holy gost shal come fro above to the,
2s° and the vertu of hym hyest shal schadu the so,

Therfore that holy gost of the shal be bore,

l be clepyd the son of god sage,
and se Elyzabeth gour cosyn thore,
she hath conseyvid a son in hyre age;
255 This is the sexte monyth of here passage,
[64 a] of here that clepyd was bareyn.

nothynge is impossyble to goddys usage:
they thynkyth longe to here what ge wyl seyn.

here the aungel makyth a lytyl restynge and mary beholdyth
hym, and the aungel seyth:

Mary, come of and haste the,
260 and take hede in thyn entent

whow the holy gost, blyssyd he be,
Abydyth thin answere and thin assent.

239 ihesu] ihu MS 242 no] n MS 255 ] MS. has

full form this 259] MS has full form the 260] MS

has full forms and, thyn

Coventry, Incarnation (I) 81

Thorwe wyse werke of dyvinyte

the secunde persone, verament,

is mad man by fraternyte, *65

withinne thiself in place present.

fferther more take hede this space,

whow all the blyssyd spyrytys of vertu,

that are in hefne byffore goddys face,

and all the gode levers and trew, »7°

That are here in this erthely place,

thyn owyn kynrede, the sothe ho knew,

and the chosyn sowlys, this tyme of grace,

that are in helle and byde rescu,

As Adam, Abraham, and davyd in fere, [64 b]

and many others of good reputacion,

that thin Answere desyre to here,

and thin Assent to the incarnacion,

In which thu standyst as p(re)se[r]vere,

of all mankende savacion. «3°

gyff me myn answere now, lady dere,

to all these creatures comfortacion. „

Maria: with all mekenes I clyne to this acorde,
bowynge down my face with all benyngnyte,
Se here the hand-mayden of oure lorde, **s

Aftyr thi worde be it don to me.

Gabryel: Gramercy, my lady fire,

Gramercy of gour answere on hyght,

Gramercy of gour grett humylyte,

Gramercy, ge lanterne off lyght. *9o

264] MS has full form the 272, 273, 276 282] MS has full

forms thyn, and, and, these 274 rescu ] erased in MS and ther
rescu substituted, H follows correction 279 preservere ] psever

MS, presevere H

F

82 Coventry, Incarnation (I)

here the holy gost discendit with iij bemys to oure lady, the
sone of the godhed ne[x]t with iij bemys to the holy gost, the
fadyr godly with iij bemys to the sone, and so entre all thre to
here bosom, and mary seyth:

[65 a] Maria : A ! now I fele in my body be
parfyte god and parfyte man,
havyng all schappe of chyldly carnalyte,
evyn all at onys, thus god began,

=95 /Not takynge ffyrst o membyr and sythe another,
but parfyte childhod ge have anon;
of gour hand-mayden now have ge mad gour modyr,
withowte peyne in fflesche and bon.
Thus conceyved nevyr woman non,
: 300 that evyr was beyng in this lyff.

O, myn hyest fFadyr, in gour trone,
v It is worthy gour son, now my son, haue a p(re)rogatyff I

/\ can not telle what joy, what blysse,

now I fele in my body !
305 Aungel Gabryel, I thank gow for thys,

most mekely recomende me to my faderes mercy.

To haue be the modyr of god fful lytyl wend L

Now myn cosyn Elizabeth ffayn wold I se,

how sche hath conseyvid, as ge dede specyfy.
s10 s^ow blyssyd be the hyg trynyte !
[65 b] Gdbryel : ffare weyl turtyl, goddys dowtere dere !

ffare wel goddys modyr, I the honowre!

ffare wel goddys sustyr, and his pleynge fere!

ffare wel goddys chawmere, and his bowre !
s1 s Maria : ffare wel Gabryel, specyalye !

ffare wel goddes mesangere expresse !

I thank gow for gour traveyl hye,

Gramercy of gour grett goodnes !

t/

after 290, in stage-direction : J MS has the fadyr, the son next ]
nest MS, vest H 299] MS has full form thus 305] MS-

has full form thu&

Coventry, Incarnation (I) 83

And namely of gour comfortabyl massage,

ffor I vndyrstande by inspyracion 3»<>

that ge knowe, by syngulere p(ri)uylage,

most of my sonys incarnation.

I p(ra)y gow take it into usage,

be a custom ocupacion,

to vesyte me ofte be mene passage, 335

gour p(re)sence is my comfortacion.

Gabryel: At gour wyl, lady, so shal it be,
ge gentyllest of blood and hyest of kynrede
that reynyth in erth in ony degre,
be pryncypal incheson of the godhede ! 33°

I comende me onto gow, thu trone of the trinyte!

O ! mekest mayde, now the modyr of ih(es)u !

qwen of hefne, lady of erth, and empres of hellebege [66 a]

socour to all synful that wol to gow sew.

Thoro gour body bery th the babe oure blysse shal renew, 335

to gow, modyr of mercy, most mekely I recomende,

and as I began, I end, with an Ave new.

Enjonyd hefne and erth, with that I ascende.

Ang(e)li cantando istam sequenciam:
Aue maria, gr(aci)a plena,
d(omin)us tecum, uirgo se[r]ena.

323 pray] f>y MS 326 presence] psence MS 332 ihesu]
ihu MS a/to-338 Angeli] Angli MS gracia] gfa MS

dominus] dus MS serena] sesena MS, serena H after se-

quenciam ] MS had originally and mary sayth, now erased Fol.
66 b is blank.

F2

[67 a] [PLAY] 12. [JOSEPH'S RETURN.]

Joseph : How, dame, how ! undo goure dore, undo !

Are ge at horn? why speke ge notht?
Susanna: Who is ther? why cry ge so?

telle ^us goure herand. Wy[l] ge ought ?
s Joseph : Undo goure dore I sey gow to,

ffor to come in is all my thought.
Maria : it is my spowse that spekyth us to ;

ondo the dore, his wyl were wrought.

Wellcome horn, myn husband dere,
10 how haue ge ferd in fer countre ?
Joseph: To gete oure lyvynge, withowten dwere,

1 haue sore laboryd for the and me.
Maria : husband, ryght gracyously now com be ge ;

it solacyth me sore sothly to se gow in sy[ght].
is Joseph : Me merveylyth, wyff, surely goure face I can

not se.

but as the sonne with his bemys, qu(han) he is most
bry[ght].

Maria : husband, it is as it plesyth oure lord, that

grace of hym grew,
who that evyr beholdyth me veryly,
they shal be grettly steryd to vertu,
20 for this gyfte and many mo, good lord gramercy !
Joseph : how hast thu ferde, jentyl mayde,

whyl I haue be out of londe?
Maria: Sekyr, sere, beth nowfght] dysmayde,
ryfght] after the wyl of goddys sonde.

4 wyl ] wy MS, wyl H 14 syght ] syth MS H 16

quhan] qu MS bryght] bryth. MS H 23 nowght] nowtli

MS H "24 ryght] ryth MS H

Coventry, Joseph (II) 86

Joseph : That semyth evyl, I am afrayd, *s

thi wombe to hyge doth stonde ;
I drede me sore I am betrayd.
Su(m) other man the had in hande,
hens sythe that I went. [67 b]

Thy wombe is gret, it gynnyth to ryse, 30

than hast thu begownne a synfull gyse.
telle me now in what wyse
thyself thu ast thus schent.

Ow, dame ! what thinge menyth this ?

with childe thu gynnyst ry[ght] gret to gon. 35

Sey me, Mary, this childys fadyr ho is?

I p(ra)y the telle me and that anon.

Maria : The fadyr of hevyn and ge it is,
Other fadyr hath he non ;

I dede nevyr forfete with man i-wys, 40

Wherfore I p(ra)y gow amende gour mon;
this childe is goddys and gour.

Joseph : Goddys childe ! thu lyist, in fay !

God dede nevyr jape so with maye,

And I cam nevyr ther, I dare wel sey, 43

gitt so nyh thi boure.

But git I sey, Mary, whoos childe is this?
Maria : Goddys and goure, I sey i-wys.

Joseph: ga, ga, all olde men to me take tent,

and weddyth no wyif in no kynnys wyse, 5o

that is a gonge wench, be myn asent,
ffor dowte and drede and swich servyse.
Alas! Alas! my name is shent,
all men may me now dyspyse,

28 sum] su MS 25, 30, 31, 33, 34] MS has full forms :

that, Thy, than, thy, this 33 thinge J yinge MS 35 ryght ]
ryth MS H 41 pray ] py MS 42, 45, 47 ] MS has full

forms this, and, this

86 Coventry, Joseph (II)

55 and seyn : " olde cokwold, thi bowe is bent

newly, after the frensche gyse."
[68 a] Alas and welaway !

Alas, dame, why dedyst thu so?

for this synne that thu hast do
60 I the forsake and from the go,

ffor onys evyr and ay.

Maria : Alas, good spowse, why sey ge thus ?

Alas, dere hosbund, amende gour mod.

It is no man but swete Ih(es)us,
65 he wyll be clad in flesch and blood,

and of gour wyif be born.
Sephor: ffor sothe, the aungell thus seyd he,

that goddys sone in trynite

ffor mannys sake a man wolde be,
70 to save that is forlorn.
Joseph : An aungell ! alias ! alas ! fy for shame !

ge syn now in that ge [so] say.

to puttyn an aungel in so gret blame !

Alas ! alas ! let be ! do way !
75 It was sum boy began this game,

that clothyd was clene and gay,

and ge geve hym now an aungel name,

Alas ! Alas ! and welaway !

that evyr this game betydde !
so A ! dame, what thought haddyst thu ?

here may all men this proverbe trow,

that many a man doth bete the bow,

another man hath the brydde.
Maria: A! gracyous god in hefne trone,
85 comforte my spowse in this hard case !

60, 62] MS has full forms the, thus 62 so] crossed out in MS

67 Sephor] H does not follow MS in giving the following speech to
Sephor •, but makes her name a vocative, thus making Mary address her.
72 so ] to MS H 79 ] MS has full form this

Coventry, Joseph (II) 87

mercyful god, amend his mone,
as I dede nevyr so gret trespas!
Joseph : lo ! lo ! seres, what told I gow ?
that it was not for my prow

a wyff to take me to, 9<>

anfd| that is wel sene now,
ffor mary, I make god a vow,

is grett with childe, lo!
Alas ! why is it so ?

to the busshop I wole it telle, 95

that he the lawe may here do,
with stonys here to qwelle.

Nay, nay, gett god fforbede

that I shuld do that ve[n]geabyl dede,

but if I wyst wol qwy.
I knew never in here, so god me spede,
tokyn of thynge in word nor dede,

that towchyd velany.
nevyr the les what for thy?
thow she be meke and mylde,
withowth mannys company
she myght not be with childe.

But I ensure myn was it nevyr.

thow that she hath not don here devyr,

rather than I shuld plenyn opynly, I10

Serteynly gitt had I levyr
iforsake the countre fforevyr,

and nevyr come in here company,
ffor [an] men knew this velany,
in repreff thei wolde me holde, u5

!»!• vengeabyl] vegeabyl MS H 109] MS has full form

thow 110] MS has full form than 114 an] & MS,

and H

88 Coventry, Joseph (II)

and gett many bettyr than I
[69 a] ga hath ben made cokolde.

Now alas! whedyr shal I gone?

I wot nevyr whedyr nor to what place,
"o ffor oftyn tyme sorwe comyth sone,

and lenge it is or it pace.

no comforte may I have here;

I-wys, wyff, thu dedyst me wronge ;

alas ! I taryed from the to longe.
125 all men haue pety [on me] amonge,

ffor to my sorwe is no chere.

Maria : God, that in my body art sesyd,
thu knowist myn husbond is dysplesyd

to see me in this plight ;
130 ffor vnknowlage he is desesyd,

and therfore help that he were esyd,

that he myght knowe the ful perfyght.
ffor I haue levyr abyde respyt,
to kepe thi sone in priuite,
*3s grauntyd by the holy spryt,

than that it shulde be opynd by me.

[Scene 2]

Deus: Descende. I sey, myn aungelle,
onto Joseph for to telle

such as my wyl is.

byd hym with mary abyde and dwelle,
ffor it is my sone fful snelle

that she is with, i-wys.
Angelas : Almyghty god of blys,
I am redy ffor to wende

116] MS has f idl form than 124 taryed] traryed H

125 on me] onime MS

Coventry, Joseph (II) 89

wedyr as thi wyl is, MS

to go bothe fer and hynde.

Joseph ! Joseph ! thu wepyst sh[ry]le,

ffro thi wyff why comyst thu owte?
Joseph: Good sere, lete me wepe my fylle, [69 b]

go forthe thi way and lete me nowght. 150

Angelas: In thi wepynge thu dost ryght ylle,

agens god thu hast myswrought.

Go chere thi wyff, with herty wylle,

and chawnge thi chere, amende thi thought,

Sche is a ful clene may. *ss

I telle the god wyl of here be born,

and sche clene mayd, as she was beforn,

to save mankynd that is forlorn;

Go, chere hyre therfore I say.
Joseph : A ! lord god, benedicite ! i6°

of thi gret comforte I thank the,

that thu sent me this space.

I myght wel a wyst, parde!

so good a creature as she

wold nevyr a done trespace ; l6s

for she is ful of grace.

I know wel I haue myswrought,

I walke to my pore place,

and aske forgyfnes, I haue mysthought.

Now is the tyme sen at eye, «?<>

that the childe is now to veryfye,
which shal save mankende,

at it was spoke by prophesye ;

I thank the, god that syttys on hye,

with hert, wyl, and mende 175

that evyr thu woldyst me bynde,

to wedde mary to my wyff,

147 shrylle] shyrlle MS 161] MS has full form the

173 prophesye ] pghesye MS

90 Coventry, Joseph (II)

thi blysful sone so nere to fynde,

in his p(re)sens to lede my lyff.
* so Alas ! if or joy I qwedyr and qwake.

Alas ! what hap now was this !
[70 a] A! mercy! mercy! my jentyl make,

mercy ! I haue seyd al amys.

All that I haue seyd here I forsake :
185 gour swete feet now lete me kys.

Maria\ Nay, lett be my fete, not tho ge take,

my mowthe ge may kys, i-wys,

and welcom onto me.
Joseph: Gramercy, myn owyn swete wyfT,
190 gramercy, myn hert, my love, my lyff;

shal I nevyr more make suche stryff

betwyx me and the.

A ! mary, mary, wel thu be !

and blyssyd be the frewte in the,
J95 goddys sone of myght !

now good wyff, full of pyte,

as be not evyl payd with me,
thow that thu haue good ryght,

as for my wronge in syght
200 to wyte the with any synne.

had thu not be a vertuous wyfght]

god wold not a be the withinne.

I knowlage I haue don amys,
I was nevyr wurthy, i-wys,
205 ffor to be thin husbonde;
I shal amende aftere thys,
ryght as thin owyn wyl is

to serve the at foot and hande.

179 presens ] psens MS 181 ] MS has full form this

201 wyght] wythe MS 206] MS has full form thys

Coventry, Joseph (II)

91

and thi chylde bothe to vndyrstonde,

to wurchep hym with good affecion;

and therfore telle me, and nothynge whonde,

the holy matere of gour concepcion.

Maria: At goure owyn wyll, as ge bydde me, —
ther cam an aunge, hyght Gabryell,
and gret me ffayr, and seyd ave.
and ferthermore to me gan tell
God shulde be borne of my bode,
the ffendys powste for to felle,
thorwe the holy gost, as I wel se;
thus god in me wyl byde and dwelle.

Joseph : Now I thank god with spech and spelle
that euer, mary, I was weddyd to the.

Maria: it was the werk of god, as I gow telle,
now blyssyd be that lord, so purveyd for me !

|70b]

215

214] MS has full form ther 217 shulde] shulde shulde

MS 222] MS has full form the.

[71 a] [PLAY] 13. [THE VISITATION.]

Maria : Butt, husbond of oo thynge I pray gow most

mekely, —
I haue knowyng that oure cosyn Elyzabeth with

childe is, —

that it plese gow to go to here hastyly,
If owught we myfght] comforte here it were to me

blys.

5 Joseph: A! goddys sake! is she with childe? sche!
than wole here husbond, gakarye, be mery.
In Montana they dwelle, fer hens, so mot [I] the,
In the cety of Juda, I knowe it veryly ;
It is hens, I trowe, myles two and ffyfty;

10 we are lyke to be wery or we come at that same.
I wole with a good wyl, blyssyd wyff mary :
now go we forthe than in goddys name.

Maria : Gofod] husbond, thow it be to gow peyne,

this jurny, I pray gow, let us go fast,
15 ffor I am schamfast of the pepyl to be seyne,

and namely of men, therof I am agast.

pylgrymages and helpynges wolde be go in hast;

the more the body is peynyd the more is the mede.

say ge gour devocionys and I shal myn i-cast,
20 now in this jurny god mote us spede!
Joseph : Amen ! Amen ! and evyrmore !

lo, wyfT, lo ! how starkly I go before.

et sic t(ra)nsient c(ir)ca placeam.

4 myglit ] myth MS 6, 7, 12, 14 ] MS has full forms than,
they, than, this 7 mot I ] moty MS 13 good ] goth MS

19 i-cast] reast H offer 22 transient] tnsient MS circa]

cca MS

Coventry, Visitation (III) 93

[Scene 2J [71b]

Contemplation : Sovereynes, vndyrstondyth that kynge

davyd here

ordeyned ffoure and twenty prestys of grett devocion,
in the temple of god, aftere here let apere, *$

thei weryd clepyd summi sacerdotes, for here min-

istracion,
and on was prynce of prestys, havynge d(omi)na-

cyon;

amonge whiche was an old prest clepyd gakarye,
and he had an old woman to his wyff, of holy

conversacion,
whiche hyfght] Elizabeth, that nevyr had childe, 30

verylye.

In hese mynistracion, the howre of incense,
the aungel gabryel apperyd hym to ;
that hese wyff shulde conseyve he gaff hym in
telligence ;

hese juge, hese vnwurthynes and age not belevyd so.
The plage of dompnesse his lippis lappyd, lo! 35
thei wenten horn and his wyff was conseyvenge.
this concepcion gabryel tolde oure lady to,
and in soth sone aftere that sage sche was sekynge,
and of here tweyners metyng

here gynnyth the proces. 40

now god be oure begynnynge,
and of my tonge I wole ses.

127 dominacyon ] diiacyon MS 30 hyght ] hyth MS

31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 39] MS has full forms-, the, the, the, thei,
this, and

94 Coventry, Visitation (III)

[Scene 3]

Joseph : A ! A ! wyf, in feyth I am wery,

therfore I wole sytt downe and rest me ryght here.
45 lo ! wyff, here is the hous of gakarye,

wole ge I clepe Elyzabeth to gow to apere?
1 72 a] Maria: Nay, husbond, and it plese gow I shal go ner.
now the blyssyd trynite be in this hous !
A! cosyn Elizabeth, swete modyr, what cher?
50 £e grow grett. A ! my god, how ge be gracyous !
Elizabeth : Anon as I herd of gow this holy gretynge,
mekest mayden and the modyr of god, mary,
be gour breth the holy gost us was inspyrynge,
that the childe in my body enjoy d gretly,
55 and turnyd down on his knes to oure god rev
erently,

whom ge bere in gour body, this veryly I ken.
ifulfyllyd with the holy gost thus lowde I cry:
blyssyd be thu amonge all women,
and blyssyd be the frute of thi wombe also,
60 thu wurthyest virgyne and wyff that evyr was wrought,
how is it that the modyr of god me shulde come to,
that wrecche of all wrecchis, a whyght wers than

nought ?
and thu art blyssyd that belevyd veryly in thi

thought

that the wurde of god shulde profyte in the ;
65 but how this blyssydnes abought was brought
I can not thynk nyn say how it myght be.

Maria: To the preysynge of god, cosyn, this seyd

must be :
Whan I sat in my lytyl hous, onto god praynge,

44, 47, 59] MS has full forms therefore, and, and

Coventry, Visitation (III) 95

Gabryel come and seyde to me Ave;

ther I conceyvyd god at my consentynge, 7o

parfyte god and p(ar)fyte man at onys beynge. [72 b]

than the aungel seyd onto me

that it was sex monethys syn gour conseyvynge,

this cawsyth my comynge, cosyn, gow to comfort

and se.

Elizabeth : Blyssyd be ge, cosyn, for gour hedyr co- 75
how I conseyvyd I shal to gow say. [mynge !

the aungel apperyd the howre of incensynge,
seyinge I shulde conseyve, and hym thought nay;
sethe ffor his mystrost he hath be dowme alway, —
and thus of my concepcion I haue tolde gow sum. so
Maria : ffor this holy psalme I begynne here this day :
MAGNIFICAT ANIMA MEA DOMINUM,
ET EXULTAVIT SP(IRIT)US MEUS IN DEO

SALUTARI MEO !
Elizabeth : Be the holy gost with joye goddys son is

in the cum,

that thi spyryte so [injoyid] the helth of thi god so. s5
Maria: QUIA RESPEXIT HUMILITATEM ANCIL-

L[A]E SU[A]E.
ECCE ENIM EX HOC BEATAM ME DICENT

O[MN]ES GEN(ER)ACIONES.
Elizabeth : ffor he beheld the lownes of hese hand-

maydege,
so ferforthe ffor that all generacionys blysse gow

in pes.
Maria : QUIA FECIT MI[HI] MAGNA QUI POTENS 9<>

EST,
ET SANCTUM NOMEN EIUS.

70, 72] MS has full forms ther, than 71 parfyte]

pfyte MS 83 SPIBITUS ] SPUS. MS 86 injoyid ] in-

jonyid MS 86 ANCILLAE SUAE ] ANCILLE SUE MS

87 OMNES ] OES MS 90 MIHI ] MI MS

96 Coventry, Visitation (III)

Elizabeth : ffor grett thynges he made, and also mygh-

tyest,

and ryght holy is the name of hym in vs.
[73a] Maria: ET M(ISERICORD)IA EIUS A PROGENIE

IN PROGENIES
95 TIMENTIBUS EUM.
Elizabeth : ga, the mercy of hym fro that kynde into

the kynde of pes,

ffor all that hym drede now is he cum.
Maria: FECIT POTENCIAM IN BRACHIO SUO,

DISSPERSIT SUPERBOS MENTE CORDIS SUI.

ioo Elizabeth : The pore in his ryght arme he hath mad so —

the prowde to dyspeyre [in] the thought of here

hertys only.
Maria : DEPOSUIT POTENTES DE SEDE

ET EXALTAVIT HUMILES.

Elizabeth: The prowde men fro hey setys put he,
i°5 and the lowly upon heyfghtj in the sete of pes.
Maria: ESSURIENTES IMPLEVIT BONIS,

ET DIVITES DIMISIT INANES.
Elizabeth : alle the pore and the nedy he fulfyllyth

with his goodys,

and the ryche he fellyth to voydnes.
«o Maria : SUSCEPIT ISRAEL PUERUM SUUM,

RECORD ATUS EST MISERICORDI[A]E SU[A]E.
Elizabeth: Israel. for his childe up toke he to cum,

On his mercy to thynk, ffor hese it be.
Maria: SICUT LOCUTUS EST AD P(AT)RES

N(OST)ROS,
«s ABRAHAM ET SEMINI EIUS IN S[A]ECULA.

93] MS has full form and 94 MISERICOKDIA ] MIA MS
100] MS has full form The 101 in] and MS 104] MS

has full form The 105 heyght ] heyth MS 111 MISEKI-

COKDIAEj MISERICOKDE MS SUAE] SUE MS 114

PATRES NOSTROS] PEES NROS MS 115 SAECULA]

SECULA MS

Coventry, Visitation (III) 97

Elizabeth : as he spak here to cure forfaderys in clos,
Abraham and to all hese sed of hym in this

werfljd sa.
Maria : GLORIA PATRI ET FILIO

ET SPIRITUI SANCTO.

Elizabeth : preysyng be to the fadyr in hevyn, lo ! «o
the same to the son here be so,
the holy gost also to ken.
Maria: SICUT ERAT IN PRINCIPIO ET NUNC [73b]

ET SEMPER

ET IN S[A]ECULA S[A]ECULOR[UM], AMEN.
Elizabeth : As it was in the begynnynge, and now is, 125

and shal be forevyr.

and in this wer[l]d in all good werkys to abydyn then
Maria: This psalme of p(ro)phesye seyd betwen us

tweyn,

in hefne it is wretyn with aungellys hond,
evyr to be songe and also to be seyn
euery day amonge us at oure evesong. 130

but cosyn Elyzabeth, I shal gow here kepe,
and this thre monethis abyde here now
tyl ge hav childe, to wasche, skore and swepe,
and in all that I may to comforte gow.

Elizabeth : A ! ge, modyr of god, ge shewe us here how 135
we shulde be meke, that wrecchis here be.
All hefne and herthe wurchepp gow mow,
that are trone and tabernakyl of the hyg trinite.

Joseph: A! how do ge? how do ge, ffadyr gacharye?
we ffalle ffast in age, withowte oth. M°

117 werld ] werd MS 124 SAECULA SAECULORUM ]

SECULA SECULOR MS 126 werld] werd MS 126] MS
has full form then 127 ] MS has full form This prophesye ]

pphesye MS

98 Coventry, Visitation (HI)

why shake ge gour hed? haue ge the palsye?
why speke ge not, sere? I trowe ge are not wroth.
Elizabeth : Nay, wys fadyr Joseph, therto he were ful loth ;
it is the vesytac[i]on of god, he may not speke veryly,
MS lete us thank god therffor both,

he shal remedy it whan it plesyth his mercy,
Come, I pray gow specialy,

i-wys ge are welcome, mary. [god gramercy !

Contemplation : ffor this comfortablest comynge good

150 Joseph : Of gour dissese thynkys no greff, thank god

of all adversyte,
ffor he wyl chastyse and repreff tho that he lovyth

most hertyle.
Mary, I hold best that we go hens ; we haue fer

horn withowt fayl.
Maria : Al redy, husbond, withowt defens, I wyl werke

be gour counsayl.
Cosyn, be gour leve and gour lycens, for homward

now us must travayl.
155 of this refreschynge in gour p(re)sens god geld gow,

that most may avayl !

] Elizabeth: Now, cosynes both, god gow spede, and

wete gow wele withowtyn wo.
gour p(re)sens comfortyth me in dede, and therfore

now am I ryght wo,
That ge, my ffrendys and my kynrede thus sone

now shul parte me fro ;

but I pray god he mote gow spede in every place
wher so ge go.

here Mary and Elizdbet partyn and Elizabeth goth to zakare and seyth :

144 vesytacion] vesytacon MS 147—149] in a footnote,

with stage direction : si placet. 155 presens ] psens MS

156 wo ] mo erased in MS and wo substituted, H follows the correction

157 presens] psens MS 158] MS has full form that 15$
spede ] erased in MS and lede substituted, H follows the correction*

Coventry, Visitation (HI) 99

Good husbond, ryse up, I beseke gow and go we 160

to the temple now fast,
to wurchep god with that we mow, and thank hym

bothe, this is my cast,
of the tyme that is comynge now, ifor now is cum

mercy and venjauns is past;
good wyl be born for mannys prow, to brynge us

to blysse that ever shal last.
Contemplation: lystenyth, sovereynes, here is a con-

clusyon :

how the Aue was mad here is lernyd us, 165

the aungel seyd : AVE, G(RAT)IA PLENA,

D(OMIN)US TECUM,
BENEDICTA TU IN MULIERIBUS.
Elyzabeth seyd: ET BENEDICTUS
FRUCTUS VENTRIS TUI, thus the church addyd

MARIA and IH(ES)US her.

who seyth oure ladyes sawtere dayly, ifor a ger thus, 170
he hath pardon ten thowsand and eyte hundryd ger.

Than ferther to oure matere for to p(ro)cede, —

Mary with Elizabeth abod ther stylle

iij monthys fully, as we rede,

thankynge god with hertly wylle. 175

A ! lord god ! what hous was this on

that [held] these childeryn and here moders to,

as Mary and Elizabeth, Ih(es)us and John,

and Joseph and gakarye also.

and evyr our lady abod stylle thus, iso

tyl John was of his modyr born,

and than gakarye spak, i-wys,

that had be dowm and his spech lorn.

166 GRATIA] GIA MS DOMINUS] BUS MS 169, 172,
185] MS has full forms thus, than, they, them 169, 178 Ihesus ]
Ihus MS 177 held ] omit MS H

G2

100 Coventry, Visitation (HI)

185 he and Elizabeth p(ro)phesyed as thus
they mad BENEDICTUS them beforn,
and so MAGNIFICAT and BENEDICTUS
ffyrst in that place ther made worn.

Whan all was done, oure lady fre

toke here leve than aftere this
19° at Elizabeth and gakarie,

and kyssyd John, and gan hym blys.

Now most mekely we thank gu of gour pacyens,

and beseke gu of gour good supportacion.

If here hath be seyd ore don any inconuenyens
195 we asygne it to gour good deliberation],

Besekynge to crystes p(re)cious passyon

conserve and rewarde gour hedyr comynge.

With Aue we begunne and Aue is oure conclusyon.

AVE REGINA C[A]ELORUM, to oure ladye we
synge.

189] MS has full forms than, this 195 deliberation ] MS

torn 196 precious ] pcious MS 199 CAELOKUM ]

CELORUM MS

[PLAY] 15. [THE NATIVITY.] |82a]

Joseph : Lord ! what travayl to man is wrought !
Rest in this wer[l]d behovyth hym non;
Octauyan, oure Emp(er)our, sadly hath besought
Oure trybute hym to bere, folk must forth ichon,
It is cryed in every bourgh and cety be name. s

1 that am a pore tymbrewry[ght], born of the blood

of dauyd,

the Emp(er)oures comawndement I must holde with,
and ellys I were to blame.

now, my wyff mary, what sey ge to this ?
for sekyr nedys I must fforth wende 10

onto the cyte of bedleem, fer hens i-wys,
thus to labore I must my body bende.
Maria: Myn husbond and my spowse, with gow wyl

I wende,

A syght of that cyte fTayn wolde I se ;
If I myght of myn alye ony ther ffynde, is

it wold be grett joye onto me.

/Joseph : My spowse, ge be with childe, I fere gow to kary,
ffor me semyth it were werkys wylde ;
but gow to plese ryght fFayn wold I,
gitt women ben ethe to greve whan thei be with «

childe.

now latt us fforth wende as fast as we may,
and almyghty god spede us in oure jurnay !

2 werldj werd MS 3, 7 Emperour] Emprour MS
6 tymbrewryght ] tymbrewryth MS 20 ben ethe]
benethe H

102 Coventry, Nativity (IV)

[Scene 2]

Maria: A! my swete husbond, wold ge telle to me,

what tre is gon, standynge upon gon hylle?
25 Joseph : fforsothe, mary, it is clepyd a chery tre ;

In tyme of gere ge myght ffede gow theron gour fylle.

Maria: Turne ageyn, husbond, and beholde gon tre,

how that it blomyght now so swetly !
[82 b] Joseph: Cum on, mary, that we worn at gon cyte !
30 or ellys we may be blamyd, I telle gow, lythly. .

Maria: Now, my spowse, I pray gow to behold
how the cheryes growyn upon gon tre ;
ffor to haue therof ryght ffayn I wold,
and it plesyd gow to labore so meche for me.

35 Joseph : gour desyre to ifulfylle I shal assay sekyrly.

Ow ! to plucke gow of these cheries it is a werk wylde,

ffor the tre is so hyg it wold not be [don] lyghtly,

therfore lete hym pluk gow cheryes begatt gow with

childe.

Maria : Now, good lord, I pray the graunt me this boun,
4o to haue of these cheries, and it be gour wylle.

now I thank [the], god, this tre bowyth to me down ;
I may now gaderyn anowe and etyn my fylle.

Joseph: Ow ! I know weyl I haue offendyd my god

in trinyte,

spekyng to my spowse these vnkynde wurdes;
45 ifor now I beleve wel it may non other be

but that my spowse beryght the kyngys son of blys,—
he help us at oure nede!

36 J MS has full form these 37 don] omit MS H 39,

44] MS has full forms the, these 41 the] it MS H

Coventry, Nativity (IV) 103

of the kynrede of lesse worthely were ge bore,
kynges and patryarkys gow beffore,
all these wurthy of gour kynred wore, 50

as clerkys in story rede.

Maria : Now, gramercy, husbond, for gour report !
In oure weys wysely late us forth wende.
the fadyr all myghty he be oure comfort!
the holy gost gloryous he be oure frende ! 55

[Scene 3] [83 a]

Joseph: Heyl, wurchepful sere, and good day!
a cetecyn of this cyte ge seme to be,
Of herborwe ffor [my] spowse and me I gow pray,
ffor trewly this woman is fful were,

and fayn at reste, sere, wold she be. 60

we woldeffulffylle the byddynge of oure emp(er)o(ure),
ffor to pay trybute as ryght is oure,
and to kepe oureselfe ffrom dolowre

we are come to this cyte.

dues: Sere, ostage in this towne know I non, *5

thin wyff and thu in for to slepe ;
this cete is besett with pepyl every-won,
and gett thei ly withowte iful every strete.

withinne no wall, man, comyst thu nowfght],
be thu onys withinne the cyte gate; 70

onethys in the strete a place may be sowfght],
theron to rest withowte debate.

68 my ] omit MS H 61 emperoure ] empo MS 67 and

68] MS has full forms this, and 69 and 74 nowght] nowth

MS 71 sowght ] sowth MS

104 Coventry, Nativity (IV)

Joseph: Nay, sere, debate that wyl I now[ght],

all suche thyngys passyn my powere,
75 but gitt my care and all my thought
is for mary, my derlynge dere.

A ! swete wyff, what shal we do ?
wher shal we logge this nyght?
Onto the fadyr of heffne pray we so
so vs to kepe ffrom every wykkyd w[ygh]t.

dues : Good man, o word I wyl the sey,
if thu wylt do by the counsell of me,
gonder is an hous of haras that stant be the wey,
amonge the bestys herberyd may ge be.

[83 b] Maria : Now the fadyr of hefne he mut gow gelde !
£6 his sone in my wombe forsothe he is ;

he kepe the and thi good be fryth and ffelde !

go we hens, husbond, for now tyme it is.

But herk now, good husbond, a newe relacyon
90 which in my self I know ryght well :

Crist in me hath take incarnacion,

sone wele be borne, the trowthe I fele.

in this pore logge my chawmere I take,
here for to abyde the blyssyd byrth
95 of hym that all this wer[l]d dude make ;
betwyn my sydys I fele he styrth.

Joseph : god be thin help, spowse, it swemyth me sore
thus febyly loggyd and in so pore degre
goddys sone amonge bestes ffor to be bore ;
100 his woundyr werkys ffulfyllyd must be

80 wyght] whyt MS 95 werld] werd MS

Coventry, Nativity (IV)

105

i •:

in a hous that is desolat, withowty any wall, —
ffyer nor wood non here is.

Maria: Joseph, myn husbond, abydyn here I shal,
ffor here wyl be born the kyngys sone of blys.

Joseph : Now, jentyll wyff, be of good myrth,

and if ge wyl owght haue telle me what ge thynk ;
I shal not spare for schep nor derth,—
now telle me gour lust of mete and drynk.

Maria : ffor mete and drynk lust I ryght now[ght|,
allmyghty god my fode shal be. "<>

now that I am in chawmere brought,
I hope ryght well my chylde to se.

Therfore, husbond, of gour honeste [84= a]

avoyd gow hens out of this place,
and I alone with humylite ^s

here shal abyde goddys hyg grace.

Joseph: All redy, wyff, gow for to plese,
I wyl go hens out of gour way,
and seke sum mydwyuys gow for to ese,
whan that ge trauayle of childe this day. «o

ffare well, trewe wyff, and also clene may !
God be gour comforte in trinyte !

Maria: to god in hevyn for gow I pray,
he gow p(re)serve wherso ge be!

hie dum loseph est absens parit Maria filium vnigenitum.

109 nowght ] nowth MS

124 preserve] pserve MS

106 Coventry, Nativity (IV)

[Scene 4]

125 Joseph : Now god, of whom comyth all releffe,
and as all grace in the is grownde,
so saue my wyff from hurt and greif
tyl I sum mydwyuys for here haue fownde !
Travelynge women in care be bownde

130 with grete throwys whan thei do grone ;
god helpe my wyff that sche not swownde,
I am ful sory sche is alone.

It is not conuenyent a man to be
ther women gon in travalynge,
135 wherfore sum mydwyff ffayn wold I se,
my wyff to helpe that is so genge.

[84 b] selomy : Why makyst thu, man, suche mornyng?

telle me sum dele of gour gret mone.
Joseph: my wyff is now in gret longynge
140 trauelyng of chylde, and is alone.

ffor godys loue that sytt in trone,

as ge [be] mydwyuys that kan gour good,

help my gonge spowse in haste anone,—

I drede me sore of that fayr food.
145 Salome : be of good chere and of glad mood !

we ij mydwyuys with the wyll go ;

ther was nevyr woman in such plyght stood,

but we were redy here help to do.

My name is Salomee, all men me knowe
150 ffor a mydwyff of wurthy fame.

whan women travayl grace doth growe,
theras I come I had nevyr shame.

Selomy: and I am gelomye, men knowe my name;
we tweyn with the wyl go togedyr,

142 bej omit MS H 153, 154] MS has full forms and, the

Coventry, Nativity (IV) 107

and help thi wyff fro hurt and grame. 155

Com forth, Joseph, go we strey[ght] thedyr.

Joseph : I thank gow, damys, ge comforte my lyff.

streyte to my spowse walke we the way.

In this pore logge lyght mary, my wyff,

hyre for to comforte gode frendys assay. 160

Salome: We dare not entre this logge in fay,

ther is therin so gret bryghtnes;

mone be nyght nor sunne be day

Shone nevyr so clere in ther lyghtnesse. [85 a]

selomye: Into this hous dare I not gon, 165

the woundyrfful lyght doth me affray.
Joseph: than wyl myself gon in alon,

and chere my wyfF if that I may.

[Scene 5]

All heyl, maydon and wyff! I say,

how dost thu fare? telle me thi chere. i7o

the for to comforte in gesyne this day

tweyn gode mydwyuis I haue brought here.

The for to help, that art in harde bonde,

gelomye and Salomee be com with me;

ffor dowte of drede withowte thei do stond, x75

and dare not come in for lyght that they se.

hie maria subridendo dicat :

Maria : The myght of the godhede in his mageste
wyl not be hyd now at this whyle ;

156 streyght ] streyth MS 169 no new paragraph in MS

167, 171, 173, 176] MS has full forms than, the, the, they

108 Coventry, Nativity (IV)

the chylde that is born wyl preve his modyr fre,
180 a very clene mayde, and therfore I smyle.

Joseph : Why do ge lawghe, wyff ? ge be to blame ;
I pray gow, spowse, do no more so,
In happ the mydwyuys wyl take it to grame,
and at gour nede helpe wele non do.
185 Iff ge haue nede of mydwyuys, lo !
P(er)aventure thei wyl gon hens,
therfore be sad, and ge may so,
and wynnyth all the mydwyuis good diligens.

Maria: husbond, I pray gow dysplese gow nowfght],
19° thow that I lawghe and gret joye haue.

here is the chylde this werde hath wrought,
born now of me that all thynge shal saue.
Joseph : I aske gow grace, for I dyde raue.

O, gracyous childe, I aske mercy !
195 as thu art lord and I but knaue,
fforgeue me now my gret foly !

Alas ! mydwyuis, what haue I seyd ?
I pray gow com to us more nere,
ffor here I fynde my wyff a mayd,
200 and in here arme a chylde hath here;
bothe mayd and modyr sche is in fere,
that god wole haue may nevyr more fayle.
Salome : modyr on erth was nevyr non clere,
withowth sche had in byrth travayle.

205 gelomy : In byrth trauayle muste sche nedys haue,

or ellys no chylde of here is born.
Joseph: I pray gow, dame, and ge vowchesaue,
com se the chylde my wyff beforn.

179, 186] MS has full forms the, thei 186 peraveiiture ]

paventure MS 189 nowght] nowth MS

Coventry, Nativity (IV) 109

Salome : Crete god be in this place !

Swete systyr, how fare ge? 210

Maria : I thank the fadyr of his hyg grace,

his owyn son and my chylde here ge may se.

selomye: All heyl, niary, and ryght good morn!

who was mydwyfe of this ffayr chylde?
Maria : he that nothynge wyl haue forlorn 215

Sent me this babe, and I mayd mylde.

zelomye: with honde lete me now towch and fele; |86;
yf ge haue nede of medycyn,
I shal gow comforte and helpe ryght wele,
as other woman, yf ge haue pyn. 220

Maria: Of this fayr byrth, that here is myn,
peyne nere grevynge fele I ryght non.
I am clene mayde and pure virgyn,
tast with gour hand gour self alon.

hie palpat Tflomye beatam •virginem^ dicens :

selomy : O myghtfulle god ! haue mercy on me ! «5

a merveyle that nevyr was herd beforn
here opynly I fele and se,—
a fayr chylde of a mayden is born,
and nedyth no waschynge as other don.
fful clene and pure forsoth is he, 230

withowtyn spott or ony polucyon,
his modyr nott hurte of virgynite.

Coom nere, good systyr Salome;

beholde the brestys of this clene mayd,

fful of fayr mylke how that thei be, 235

and hyre chylde clene, as I fyrst sayd ;

as other ben now[ght] fowle arayd,

but clene and pure both modyr and chylde.

237 nowght] nowth MS

110 Coventry, Nativity (IV)

of this matyr I am dysmayd,
=40 to se them both thus vndefyled.

Salome : It is not trewe, it may nevyr be,
that bothe be dene I can not beleve ;
a maydes mylke never man dyde se,
ne woman bere chylde withowte grett greve.

[86 b] I shal nevyr trowe it but I it preve,
with hand towchynge but I assay ;
in my conscience it may nevyr cleve
that sche hath chylde and is a may.

Maria : gow for to put clene out of dowth,
250 towch with gour hand and wele asay,

wysely ransake and trye the trewthe owth,
whethyr I be fowlyd or a clene may.

hie tangit Salomee Marice, et cum arescit manus eius uluerando, et
quasi flendo dicit".

Salomee : Alas ! Alas ! and weleaway !

fTor my grett dowth and fals beleve,
255 myne hand is ded and drye as claye,
my fals vntrost hath wrought myscheve.

Alas ! the tyme that I was born !
thus to offende agens goddys myght !
myn handys power is now all lorn,
260 styff as a stykke, and may now[ght] plyght,
ffor I dede tempte this mayde so bryght,
and holde agens here pure clennes ;
in grett myscheff now am I pyght,
Alas ! alas ! for my lewdnes.

240] MS has full forms them, thus 258] MS has full form

thus 260 nowght] nowth MS

Coventry, Nativity (IV) HI

O ! lord of myght, thu knowyst the trowth, 265

that I haue evyr had dred of the.

On every power whyght evyr I haue rowthe,

and gove hem almes for loue of the.

Bothe wyff and wedowe that askyght for the,

and frendles chyldryn that haddyn gret nede, 27°

I dude them cure and all for the, [87a]

and toke no rewarde of them nor mede.

Now as a wrecch, ifor fals beleve
that I showyed in temptynge this mayde,
my hand is ded and doth me greve. 275

Alas ! that evyr I here assayde !
Angelas: woman, thi sorwe to haue delayde
wurchep that childe that ther is born;
towch the clothis ther he is layde,
ifor he shal saue all that is lorn. 280

Salomee : O ! gloryous chylde and kynge of blysse !
I aske gow mercy for my trespace,
I knowlege my synne, I demyd amys,
O ! blyssyd babe, grawnt me sum grace !
Of gow, mayde, also here in this place, 285

I aske mercy, knelynge on kne !
moste holy mayde, grawnt me solace,
Sum wurde of comforte sey now to me.

Maria: As goddys aungel to gow dede telle,
my chylde is medycyn ffor every sor ; 290

towch his clothis, be my cowncelle,
goure hand ful sone he wyl restor.

hie Salomee tangit fimbriam Chr(ist)t\ dicens :

269, 270, 271, 272] MS has full forms the, and, them, the, them
after 292 Christi ] Xri MS

112 Coventry, Nativity (IV)

Salomee : A ! now blyssyd be this chylde euermore !

the sone of god forsothe he is.
295 [he] hath helyd myn hand that was forlore,
thorwe ffals beleve and demynge amys.

[87 b] In every place I shal telle this,

Of a clene mayde that god is born,
and in oure lyknes god now clad is,
300 mankend to saue that was forlorn ;

his modyr a mayde as sche was beforn,
natt fowle polutyd as other women be,
but fayr and fresche as rose on thorn,
lely wyte, clene with pure virginyte.

305 Of this blyssyd babe my leve now do I take,
and also of gow, hyg modyr of blysse :
Of this grett meracle more knowlege to make
I shal go telle it in iche place, i-wys.
Maria : ffare wel, good dame, and god gour way wysse !
3" In all gour jurnay god be gour spede !

and of his hyg mercy that lord so gow blysse
that ge nevyr offende more in word, thought, nor
dede.

gelomy : And I also do take my leve here

of all this blyssyd good company,
315 praynge gour grace bothe fere and nere
on us to spede gour endles mercy.

Joseph : The blyssyng of that lord, that is most myghty,
mote sprede on gow in every place !
Of all gour enmyes to haue the victory,
320 God, that best may, grawnt gow his grace ! Amen !

295 he] omit MS H 313, 317] MS has full forms and, the

[PLAY] 16. [THE SHEPHERDS' PLAY.] [88 b]

Angelus ad pastor es dicit Gl(or)ia in excelsis deo. (., ,\

Ang(e)l(u)s: Joye to god that sytt in hevyn,
and pes to man on erthe grownde!
A chylde is born benethe the levyn,
thurwe hym many ffolke shul be vnbownde.
Sacramentys ther shul be vij 5

wonnyn thorwe that childys wounde,
Therfore I synge a joyful stevene,
the flowre of frenchep now is founde ! g
God that wonyght on hyg

he is gloryed mannys gost to wynne, 10

he hath sent salue to mannys synne,
pes is comyn to mannys kynne
thorwe goddys hyge wysdam, I say.

1U8 pastor : Maunfras, Maunfras, felawe myn !

I saw a grett lyght with shene shyne, I5

git saw I nevyr so mervely syne

Shapyn upon the skyes.

It is bryghtere than the sunne bem ;

It comyth ryght ouer all this rem;

Evyn above bedleem ao

I saw it brenne thryes.

ijw pastor: Thu art my brother boosras,
I haue beholdyn the same pas,
I trowe it is tokenynge of gras
that shynynge shewyght beforn. [89 al

Gloria] Glia MS 1 Angelas] Angls MS 6 thorwe J

thowe original reading of MS 7 MS has full form therf ore

13 hyge wysdam I say ] two other readings crossed out and illegible
in MS 15 shene ] corrected in MS by breme and bryght ; H

reads, bryght 22, 30] MS has full forms Thu, thow

H

114 Coventry, Shepherds (V)

Balaam spak in p(ro)phesye,
a lyght shuld shyne upon the skye
whan a sone of a mayd marye
in bedleem were i-born.

30 iijus pastor : thow I make lytyl noyse,

I am an herde that hattyht Moyse;

I herde carpynge of a creyse

Of Moyses in his lawe.

Of a mayd a barne born
35 on a tre he shulde be torn,

delyver folkys that arn forlorn,

The chylde shulde be slawe.

ius pastor : Balaam spak in p(ro)phecie,
out of Jacob shuld shyne a skye,

40 many ffolke he shulde bye
with his bryght blood.
Be that bryght blod that he shulde blede
he shal us brynge fro the develys drede,
as a duke most dowty in dede,

45 thorwe his deth on rode.

ijus pastor : Amos spak with mylde methe :
A frute swettere than bawmys brethe,
his deth shuld slen oure sowlys deth,
and drawe us all from helle.
so Therfore such lyght goth beforn
[89 b | in tokyn that the childe is born

26, 38 prophesye ] pphesye MS 30 noyse ] noyse of this H
following a late substitution in the MS 31 herde ] herdeman

and hattyht mose ] hattyht sayyng amyce H following late hand
in MS 32 carpynge of a creyse ] spekyng of a chyld of blys H
following late hand in MS 34 barne born] child shuld be

borne H and late hand in MS 37] MS has full form The

47, 49, 50] MS has full forms than, and, therfore

Coventry, Shepherds (V) 115

which shal saue that is forlorn,
As p(ro)phetys gonne spelle.

iij"* pastor : Danyel, the p(ro)phete thus gan speke :
wyse god from woo us wreke ! 55

thi bryght hevyn thu to-breke
and medele the with a mayde!
This p(ro)phecye is now spad,
Cryst in oure kende is clad,

therfore mankend may be glad, 60

As p(ro)phetys beforn han seyd.

Cantent : Gloria in excelsis dec.

iw pastor: The p(ro)phecye of Boosdras is spedly sped,
now leyke we hens as that lyght us lede ;
myght we se onys that bryght on bed,
oure bale it wolde vnbynde. ^

We shulde shadyr for no shoure, —
buske we us hens to bedleem boure
to se that fayr fresch flowre.
the mayde mylde in mynde.

ijw pastor : lete us follwe with all oure myght, 70

with songe and myrth we shul us dyght,
and wurchep with joye that wurthy wyght
that lord is of mankynne.
lete us go fforthe fast on hye,

and honowre that babe wurthylye [90 a]

with merthe, songe, and melodye, — 7e

haue do ! this songe begynne !

tune pastores cantabunt : Stella celt extirpauit, quo f(ac)to ibunt ad
querendum Christum.

53, 54, 58 ] prophet etc. ] pphet etc. MS 62 a B is -written in
the margin here in the MS, an A at line 78, and a C at line go. H
follows this siiggested rearrangement^ although the original arrangement
seems quite as satisfactory. 68, 62, 69, 75 ] MS has full forms this,

The, the, and 65 bale ] late hand substitutes sorwe, which H accepts
66 shadyr ] MS and H ; later hand substitutes not let 67 buske ]

MS and H ; later hand substitutes Go after 77 facto] ftoMS

H2

116 Coventry, Shepherds (V)

[Scene 2: On the road to Bethlehem.]

iw pastor : Ey ! Ey ! this was a wondyr note,

that was now songyn above the sky ;
so I haue that voys fful wele I-wote :
thei songe gle, glo, glory.

ijus pastor : Nay, so mot [I] the, so was it nowfght],
I haue that songe fful wele i-num,
in my wytt weyl it is wrought:
85 It was gle, glo, glas, glum.

iijus pastor : The songe methought it was glory,
and aftyrwarde he seyd us to:
ther is a chylde born shal be a prynce myghty,
ffor to seke that chylde I rede we go.

[Scene 3: In the Stable.]

9o ius pastor : heyle, floure of floures ! fayrest i-fownde !

heyle, perle peerles, prime rose of prise !

heyl, blome on bedde! we shul be vnbownde

with thi blody woundys and werkys full wyse.

heyl, god grettest, I grete the on grownde !
95 the gredy devyl shal grone grysly as a gryse,

whan thu wynnyst this worlde with thi wyde wounde,

and puttyst man to paradys with plenty of prys.

to loue the is my delyte,
[90 b] heyl, floure fayr and fre!
ioo lyght from the trynyte !

heyl ! blyssyd mote thu be !

heyl, mayde fayrest in sight!

ijw pastor : heyl, floure ovyr ffloure, fowndyn in fryght !

heyl, Cryst kynde in oure kyth !
I05 heyl, werker of wele to wonyn us wyth !

82 mot I] moty MS nowght] nowth MS 84 wytt] last

two letters illegible in MS 86] MS has full form The

Coventry, Shepherds (V) 117

heyl. wynnere, i-wys!

heyl, fformere and ffrende!

heyl, ffellere of the fende !

heyl, clad in oure kende!

heyl, prince of paradys ! no

iij*3 pastor : heyl, lord ouer lordys that lyggest ful lowe !
heyl, kynge ovyr kynges, thi kynrede to knowe!
heyl, comely kny[ght], the deuyl to ouerthrowe !
heyl, floure of alle !

heyl, werkere to wynne us

bodyes bowndyn in synne !
heyl, in a bestys bynne
bestad in a stalle!

Joseph: herdys on hylle, bethe not stylle,

but seyth gour wylle to many a man, »<>

how god is born this mery morn;
that is forlorn fyndyn he can.

*<M* pastor : we shul telle be dale and hylle
how harwere of helle was born this nyght.
myrth is to melle and fendys to quelle, 125

that were so felle agens his ryght.

ijw pastor: ffare wel, babe and barne of blys! [9 la]

flare wel, lord that lovely is !
the to wurchep thi feet I kys,

on knes to the I falle. I30

The to wurchep I falle on kne,
all this wer[l]d may joye of the;
now farewell, lorde of gret pouste !

ga, farewel kynge of alle !

iij™ pastor : Thow I be the last that take my leve, J35
git, fayre mullynge, take it not at no greve.

113 knyght] knyth MS 181, 135] MS has full forms

The, Thow 132 werld] werd MS

118 Coventry, Shepherds (V)

now, fayre babe, wele mut thu cheve !
ffayr chylde, now haue good day !
ffareweyl, myn owyn dere derlyng !
MO I-wys, thu art a ryght fayr thyng.
ffarewel, my lorde and my swetyng!
ffarewel, born in pore aray !

Maria : Now ge herdmen, wol mote ge be !

ffor goure omage and gour syngynge
MS my sone shal aqwyte gow in hefne se,

and geve gow all ryght good hendynge. Amen.

NOTE ON THE TEXT OF THE YORK PLAYS.

Many emendations have been suggested for this text.
Most of them are entirely futile, though some are sugges
tive. I have noted in the variants all that seem in any way
significant. The articles referred to are: Holthausen, Bei-
trage zur Erklarung und Text-Kritik der York Plays,
Herrig's Archiv 85.411-428, and Holthausen, Zu Alt- und
Mittelenglischen Dichtungen, Anglia 21. 443, both of these
referred to as H; Kolbing, Kleine Beitrage zur Erklarung
und Text-Kritik Vor-Shakespere scher Dramen, Engl. Stud. 20.
187-190, 21. 162-175, referred to as K ; Hall, Text Emen
dation of the York Plays, Engl. Stud. 9. 450-459. Two other
articles which have little or no bearing on these particular
plays are: Luick, Text-Kritik der Spiele von Yorkf Anglia
22. 384, and Coblentz, Suggested Rime Emendations, Mod.
Lang. Notes 10. 77-81.

XII. THE SPICERS.
[The Prophets, The Annunciation, and the Visitation.] [42 a]

[Scene 1]

[Prologue:] Lord God, grete meruell es to mene,
How man was made withouten mysse,
And sette whare he sulde euer haue bene
Withouten bale, bidand in blisse,
And howe he lost pat comforth clene, 5

And was putte oute fro paradys,
And sithen what sorouse [s]or warre sene
Sente vnto hym and to al his,
And how they lay lange space

In helle lokyn fro lyght, 10

Tille God graunted pam grace

Of helpe, as he hadde hyght.
fan is it nedfull for to neven,
How prophettis all good counsailes kende,
Als prophet Amos in his Steven, 15

Lered whils he in his liffe gun lende.
DEUS PATER DISPOSUIT SALUTEM FIERI IN

MEDIO TERR[A]E, ETCE.
He sais pus, god pe fadir in heuen
Ordand in erthe man kynde to mende;
And to grayth it with godhede euen,
His sone he saide pat he suld sende, «o

To take kynde of man-kyn

In a mayden full mylde ;
So was many saued of syn

And the foule fende be-gyled.

7 sor ] so S ; for MS 19 euen ] euen MS after 16

TERRAE] TERRE MS

122 York, Prophets etc. (I)

25 And for the feende suld so be fedd
Be tyne, and to no treuth take tentt,
God made pat mayden to be wedde,
Or he his sone vnto hir sentte.
So was the godhede closed and cledde
3° In wede of weddyng whare th[e]y wente.
And pat oure blysse sulde so be bredde,
Ful many materes may be mente.
QUONIAM IN SEMINE TUO BENEDICENTUR

OMNES GENTES, &C.
[42 b] God hymself sayde this thynge

To Abraham als hym liste,
35 Of thy sede sail vppe sprynge
Wharein folke sail be bliste.
To proue thes prophettes ordande er,
Als I say vnto olde and yenge,
He moued oure myscheues for to merr;
40 For thus he prayed god for this thynge,
[R]ORATE C[A]ELI DESUPER,
Lord, late pou doune at thy likyng
pe dewe to fall fro heuen so ferre,
For than the erthe sail sprede and sprynge
45 A seede pat vs sail saue,

fat nowe in blisse are bente.
Of clerkis who-so will craue,

pus may per-gatis be mente :
pe dewe to pe gode halygaste
50 May be remeued in mannes mynde,
The erthe vnto pe mayden chaste,
By-cause she comes of erthely kynde.

27 wedde ] so S, wedded MS 30 they ] so K, thy MS

S sho H 37 er] MS has this at beginning of 38, S follows

MS and inserts a wer at end of 37 41 ROKATE CAELI ]

OKATE CELI, MS, S 44 the] of K 46 bente J

blente H

York, Prophets etc. (1) 123

fir wise wordis ware noght wroght in waste,
To waffe and wende away als wynde,
For this same prophett sone in haste
Saide forthermore, als folkes may fynde :
PROPTER HOC DABIT DOMINUS IPSE VOBIS

SIGNUM, &C.
Loo ! he sais pus, god sail gyffe

Here-of a [sygne] to see
Tille all pat lely lyffe,

And pis pare sygne salbe.
ECCE VIRGO CONCIPIET, ET PARIET FILI-

UM, &C.

Loo! he sais a mayden mon,
Here on this molde mankynde omell,
Ful clere consayue and here a sonne,
And neven his name Emanuell.
His kyngdom, pat euer is be-gonne,
Sail never sese, but dure and dwell ;
On dauid sege pore sail he wonne,
His domes to deme and trueth to telle.
ZELUS DOMINI FACIET HOC, &c. [43a]

He says luffe of oure Lorde

All pis sail ordan panne, 70

That mennes pees and accorde

To make with erthely manne.
More of pis mayden me meves [he],
This prophett sais for oure socoure,
EGREDIETUR VIRGA DE JESSE, 75

A wande sail brede of Jesse boure :
And of pis same also sais hee,

58 sygne ] syngne MS, S 63 Ful ] sal K 70 ordan ]

ordan MS 73 me ] omit Hall meves J menes H

he] omit MS

124 York, Prophets etc. (I)

Vppone pat wande sail springe a floure,
Wher-on pe haly gast sail be,
so To governe it with grete honnoure.
That wande meynes vntill vs

pis mayden, even and morne,
And pe floure is Jesus,

fat of pat blyst bees borne.
85 pe prophet Johell, a gentill Jewe,

Som-tyme has saide of pe same thyng :

He likenes criste euen als he knewe,

Like to pe dewe in doune commyng.

ERO QUASI ROS ET VIRGO ISRAELL GER-

MINABAT SICUT LILIUM.
|>e maiden of Israeli al newe,
9o He sais, sail bere one and forthe brynge,
Als pe lelly floure full faire of he we.
pis meynes sa to olde and genge
pat pe hegh haly gaste

Come oure myscheffe to mende
95 In marie may den chaste,

When god his sone walde sende.
pis lady is to pe lilly lyke,
pat is by-cause of hir clene liife,
For in pis worlde was never slyke,
ioo One to be mayden, modir, and wyffe,
[43 b] And hir sonne kyng in heuen-ryke,
Als oft es red be reasoune ryfe,
And hir husband bath maister and meke,
In charite to stynte all striffe.
io5 pis passed all worldly witte,

How god had ordand paim panne,

88 like] right K 103 maister] mylde K 106 fcaim ]

omit K

York, Prophets etc. (I) 125

In hir one to be knytte,

Godhed, maydenhed, and manne.
Bot of pis werke grete witnes was
With forme-ffaders, all folke may telle, no

Whan Jacob blyst his sone Judas,
He told ]>e tale paim two emell;

NON AUFERETUR S[C]EPTRUM DE JUDA,
[DONEC] UENIAT QUI MITTENDUS EST.
He sais pe septer sail noght passe
Fra iuda lande of Israeli,

Or he comme pat god ordand has us

To be sente, feendis force to fell.

ET IPSE ERIT EXPECTACIO GENCIUM.
Hym sail alle folke abyde,

And stand vn-to his steuen,
Ther sawes wer signified

To crist, goddis sone in heuen. »o

For howe he was sente, se we more,
And howe god wolde his place puruay,
He saide, sonne, I sail sende byfore
Myne Aungell to rede pe thy way.

ECCE MITTO ANGELUM MEUM ANTE FA-
CIEM TUAM QUI PREPARABIT VIAM TUAM
ANTE TE.

Of John Baptist he menyd pore, **s

For in erthe he was ordand ay,
To warne pe folke pat wilsom wore
Of Cristis comyng, and pus gon say:

EGO QUIDEM B APTIZO IN AQUA VOS AUTEM
BAPTIZABIMINI SPIRITU SANCTO.

after 112 DONEC 1 so K, omit MS, S 116 To be sente ]

To sende H feendis ] the feendis H K

126 York, Prophets, Annunciation etc. (I)

[44 a] Eftir me sail come nowe
130 A man of myghtis mast,
And sail baptis gowe

In the high haly gast.
pus of cristis commyng may we see
How sainte Luke spekis in his gospell :
135 Fro god in heuen es sente, says he,
An aungell is named Gabriell
To Nazareth in Galale,
Where pan a mayden mylde gon dwell,
pat with Joseph suld wedded be,
MO Her name is Mary, pus gan he telle.
To god his grace pan grayd

To man in pis manere,
And how pe Aungell saide,
Takes hede, all pat will here.

Tune cantat angehis.

MS Angfelus] : Hayle, Marie ! full of grace and blysse,

Oure lord god is with pe,
And has chosen pe for his;

Of all women blist mot pou be.
Maria : What maner of halsyng is pis,
150 pus preuely comes to me?

For in myn herte a thought it is,
pe tokenyng pat I here see,

Tune cantat angelus, Ne timeas Maria.

Ang[elus]: Ne drede pe noght, pou mylde marie,

For no-thyng pat may be-falle,
I55 For pou has fun soueranly

At god a grace ouer othir all.

130 myghtis] so Hall, myghtist MS, S 131 sail] saU he K
after 144 stage direction ] here and elsewhere in a i6th cent, hand
145 Angelus ] here & hereafter such abbreviations are expanded without
further note. 146 is ] he is K 147 has ] he has K

149 is] say, is H 150 comes] that comes K

York, Annunciation etc. (I) 127

In chastite of thy bodye
Consayue and here a childe pou sail;
This bodword brynge I pe, forthy
His name Jesu sail pou calle.

Mekill of myght pan sail he bee,

He sail be God and called God sonne.

Dauid sege, his fadir free, [44 b]

Sail God hym giffe to sytte vppon;

Als kyng for euer regne sail hee, i6s

In Jacob house ay for to wonne.

Of his kyngdome and dignite

[Sail] noo man erth[e]ly knaw ne con.

Maria: pou goddis aungell, meke and mylde,

Howe sulde it be, I the praye, '7°

That I sulde consayve a childe

Of any man by nyght or daye?

I knawe no man pat shulde haue fyled

My maydenhode, the sothe to saye;

Withouten will of werkis wilde, *™

In chastite I haue ben ay.

Ang[elusJ: The Halygast in pe sail lighte,
Hegh vertue sail to pe holde,
The holy birthe of the so bright,
God sonne he sail be calde. iso

Loo ! Elizabeth, pi cosyne, ne myght
In elde consayue a childe for aide ;
pis is pe sexte moneth full ryght,
To her pat baran has ben talde.

162 sonne] son MS 168 inserted by a late hand in the

margin sail ] shall S MS erthely ] erthly MS S 170 1 1

syr, I K 180 sonne] sonne, forsothe K 181 Loo]

omit K ne] omit K 182 for aide] ful balde K

128 York, Annunciation, Visitation etc. (I)

*8s Maria : Thou aungell, blissid messanger,
Of goddis will I holde me payde,
I love my lorde with herte dere.
J>e grace pat he has for me layde —
Goddis handmayden, lo ! me here

190 To his wille all redy grayd—
Be done to me of all manere,
[45 a] Thurgh thy worde als pou hast saide.

[Scene 2]

Now God, pat all oure hope is in,

Thurfgh] the myght of pe haly gaste,
195 Saue pe, dame, fro sak of synne,

And wisse pe fro all werkis wast!

Elyzabeth, myn awne cosyne,

Me thoght I coveyte alway mast

To speke with pe of all my kynne,
200 Therfore I comme pus in pis hast.

ElizfabethJ : Welcome, mylde Marie!

Myne aughen cosyne so dere,
Joiful woman am I.

pat I nowe see pe here.
205 Blissid be pou anely

Of all women in feere,
And pe frute of thy body
Be blissid ferre and nere !

pis is ioyful tydyng
210 pat I may nowe here see

187 dere] full dere H 188 fee grace] for fce grace H

193 — 196 S assigns to Ang.y and divides the scenes at /. 197. No such
assignment appears in MS, and there is no division into scenes. 194
Thurgh] Thur MS 195 of] and K

York, Visitation etc. (I) 129

J>e modyr of my lord kyng

Thus-gate come to me.
Sone als pe voyce of pine haylsing

Moght myn neres entre and be,
f> e childe in my wombe so yenge «ts

Makes grete myrthe vnto pe

Maria : Nowe lorde, blist be pou ay !

For the grace pou has me lente ;
Lorde I lofe pe god verray,

fe sande pou hast me sente. «o

I panke pe nyght and day,

And prayes with good entente
p ou make me to thy paye,

To pe my wille is wentte. [45b]

Elizfabeih] : Blissid be pou grathely grayed «s

To god thurgh chastite, —
pou trowed and helde pe payed

At his wille for to bee.
All pat to pe is saide

Fro my lorde so free, 23»

Swilke grace is for pe layde,

Sail be fulfilled in pe.

Maria: [T]o his grace I will me ta,

With chastite to dele,
pat made me pus to ga 23s

Omange his maidens fele.
My saule sail louying ma

Vn-to pat lorde so lele,
And my gast make ioye alswa

In god pat eS my hele. tune cantat Magnificat. 2«°

212 come ] is come K 213 Sone ] omit K 216 vnto

be ] so S, MS reads : alway to |>e 219 Lorde] omit K 220 f>e]
For be H 230 lorde ] lorde god K 233 To ] o MS,

[TJo S 236 fele] feele MS, fele S after 240 tune cantat}

Written in a late hand

[46a] XIII. THE PEWTERERES AND FOUNDOURS.

[Joseph's Return.]

[Scene 1]

Josfeph] : Of grete mornyng may I me mene,
And walk full werily be pis way,
For nowe pan wende I best hase bene
Att ease and reste by reasonne ay.
5 For I am of grete elde,
Wayke and al vnwelde,

Als like man se it maye,
I may nowder buske ne belde.
But owther in frith or felde,
10 For shame what sail I saie

That pus-gates nowe on myne aide dase
Has wedded a yonge wenche to my wiff,
And may nogt wele tryne over two strase ?
Nowe, lorde, how langes all I lede pis liff!
i5 My banes er heuy als lede,

And may nogt stande in stede,

Als kende it is full ryfe.
Now, lorde, pou me wisse and rede,
Or sone me dryue to dede !
20 pou may best stynte pis striffe.

For bittirly pan may I banne
'The way I in pe temple wente,
Itt was to me a bad barganne,
For reuthe I may it ay repente.
25 For pare-in was ordande

Vn-wedded men sulde stande,
Al sembled at asent,

S gives scene as " Joseph wandering in wilderness ; his house
at one side." 1 me ] omit H 3 hase ] have K

4 reasonne ] reasoun K 9 But J omit K 14 langes all ]

lange sail Hall 18 lorde ] omit K me ] we MS

York, Joseph (II) 131

And ilke ane a drye wande
On heght helde in his hand,

And I ne wist what it ment. 30

In-mange al othir ane bare I ;
Itt florisshed faire, and floures on sprede,
And they saide to me for-thy
fat with a wyffe I sulde be wedde.

f e bargayne I made pare, 35

fat rewes me nowe full sare,

So am I straytely sted.

Now castes itt me in care, [46 b]

For wele I myght euere mare

Anlepy life haue led. 40

Hir werkis me wyrkis my wonges to wete,
I am begiled ; how, wate I nogt.
My gonge wiffe is with childe full grete,
fat makes me nowe sorowe vnsought.

fat reproife nere has slayne me! 45

For-thy giff any man frayne me
How pis ping may be wroght,
To gabbe yf I wolde payne me,
f e lawe standis harde [agayne] me,

To dede I mon be broght. 50

And lathe me thinkep, on pe todir syde,
My wiff with any man to defame,
And whethir of there twa pat I bide
I mon nogt scape withouten schame.

f e childe certis is noght myne — 55

fat reproffe dose me pyne,

And gars me fle fra hame.
My liff gif I shuld tyne,
Sho is a clene virgine

For me, withouten blame. 6°

33 saide] saide all K 49 agayne] agayns MS

12

132 York, Joseph (II)

But wele I wate thurgh prophicie,
A maiden clene suld bere a childe,
But it is nought sho, sekirly,
For- thy I wate I am begiled.

65 And why ne walde som yonge man [ta] hir?
For certis I thynke ouer-ga hir

Into som wodes wilde ;
Thus thynke I to stele fra hir.
God childe ther wilde bestes sla hir,
70 She is so meke and mylde.

Of my wendyng wil I none warne,
Neuere pe lees it is myne entente
To aske hir who gate hir pat barne,
gitt wolde I witte fayne or I wente.

[Scene 2]

75 All hayle ! God be here-in !

i Puella: Welcome, by Goddis dere myght!
[47 a] Josfeph] : Whare is pat gonge virgine,

Marie, my berde so bright?
i Puella: Certis, Joseph, ge sail vndirstande
so fat sho is not fulle farre you fra —

Sho sittis at hir boke full faste prayand
For gou and us and for all pa

fat oght has nede.
But for to tell *hir will I ga
85 Of youre comyng, withouten drede.
[To Mary] : Haue done ! and rise up, dame,

And to me take gud hede !
Joseph, he is comen hame.
Maria : Welcome, als God me spede !
9° Dredles to me he is full dere,

Joseph, my spouse, welcome er yhe!

65 And] omit H ta] take MS

York, Joseph (II) 133

JosfephJ : Gramercy, Mary, sale what chere,
Telle me pe soth, how es't with f)e ?

Wha has ben there?
Thy wombe is waxen grete, thynke me,
f>ou arte with barne, alias ! for care !
A! maidens, wa worthe gou!

fat lete hir lere swilke lare.
/*' Puella: Joseph, ge sail noght trowe

In hir no febill fare. i«>

JosfephJ : Trowe it noght arme ! lefe wenche, do way !
Hir sidis shewes she is with childe.
Whose is't, Marie?

MarfiaJ : Sir, Goddis and youres.

JosfephJ: Nay! nay!

Now wate I wele I am begiled,

And resonne why ! 105

With me flesshely was pou neuere fylid,
And I forsake [the] here for-thy.
Say, maidens, how es pis?
Tels me J)e so|>e, rede I ;
And but ge do, i-wisse, "°

f e bargayne sail ge aby.
ii Puella: If ge threte als faste as yhe can,
fare is noght to saie pere till,
For trulye her come neuer noman,
To waite her body with non ill «s

Of this swete wight. [47 b]

For we haue dwelt ay with her still,
And was neuere fro hir day nor nyght.
Hir kepars haue we bene,

and sho ay in oure sight. »o

103 Marie ] omit H K Nay, nay J at beginning of 104 in MS
and S, H & K suggest this arrangement, for rime, but omit one nay
107 the] it MS S; Zupitza suggests this emendation 115 her]

the K 116] inserted by i6th cent, hand

134 York, Joseph (II)

Come here no man bytwene

to touche pat berde so bright.
i Puella : Na, here come noman in pere wanes,

And pat euere witnesse will we,
«5 Saue an Aungell ilke a daye anes,
With bodily foode hir fedde has he,
Othir come nane.

Wharfore we ne wate how it shulde be,
But thurgh pe haly gaste allone.
130 For truly we trowe pis,

[h]is grace with hir is gone,
For sho wroght neuere no mys,

we witnesse euere ilkane.
JosfephJ : panne se I wele youre menyng is,
135 pe Aungell has made hir with childe;
Nay, som man in aungellis liknesse
With somkyn gawde has hir begiled,

And pat trow I.

For-thy nedes noght swilke wordis wilde
140 At carpe to me dissayuandly.
We! why gab ye me swa,

and feynes swilk fantassy?
Alias, me is full wa !

for dule why ne myght I dy?
145 To me pis is a carfull cas,

Rekkeles I raffe, reste is my rede,
I dare loke no man in pe face,
Derfely for dole why ne were I dede?

Me lathis my liff!
150 In temple and in othir stede

like man till hethyng will me dryff,

124 euere witnesse will] will euere witnesse H 131 his]

is MS S 132 For] that K 135 made hir] hir made H

146 reste] refte Hall

York, Joseph (II) 135

Was neuer wight sa wa,
for ruthe I all to-ryff !
Alias ! why wrought pou swa,

Marie, my weddid wiffe? 155

Mar[ia] : To my witnesse grete God I call,

fat [I] in mynde wroght neuere no mysse.
JosfephJ : Whose is pe childe pou art with-all ?
Mar [ia] : Youres, sir, and pe kyngis of blisse.
Jos[ephJ : Ye? and hoo pan? |48aJ

Na, selcouthe tythandis than is pis,
Excuse pam wele there women can.
But, Marie, all pat sese pe

may witte pi werkis ere wan ;
Thy wombe all way it wreyes pe, 165

pat pou has mette with man.
Whose is it? als faire mot ye be-fall.
MarfiaJ : Sir, it is youres and Goddis will.
Josfeph] ': Nay, I ne haue noght a-do with-all,

Neme it na more to me ! be still ! 170

pou wate als wele as I,
fat we two same flesshly

Wrought neuer swilk werkis with ill.
Loke pou dide no folye
Be-fore me preuely 175

Thy faire maydenhede to spill.
But who is pe fader? telle me his name!
Marfia] : None but youre self.
JosfephJ : Late be, for shame !

I did it neuere, pou dotist dame, by bukes and belles ! xso
Full sakles shulde I bere pis blame aftir pou telles.

157 I ] omit MS S, suggested by K 157 ] H re-writes the

Hue as follows : that never in mynde have wrought no mysse
160 hoo] H suggests how, apparently taking hoo to mean who, but
hoo can mean how as well as who 176 faire ] omit H

136 York, Joseph (II)

For I wroght neuere in worde nor dede
Thyng pat shulde marre thy maydenhede,

To touche me till.
185 For of slyk note war litill nede,

Yhitt for myn awne I wolde it fede,
Might all be still,
f arefore ]>e fadir tell me, Marie.
Mar[ia] : But God and yhow I knowe right none.
190 JosfephJ : A ! slike sawes mase me full sarye,
With grete mornyng to make my mone.
Therfore be nogt so balde
fat no slike tales be talde,

But halde pe stille als stane.
195 f ou art yonge and I am aide,

Slike werkis yf I do walde,
[48 b] fase games fra me are gane.
Therfore, telle me in priuite
whos is pe childe pou is with nowe?
200 Sertis, per sail non witte but we,
I drede pe lawe als wele as pou.
Mar pa]: Nowe grete God of his myght,
|>at all may dresse and dight,

Mekely to pe I bowe !
205 Rewe on pis wery wight,

fat in his herte might light
f e soth to ken and trowe.
JosfephJ : Who had thy maydenhede, marie, has pou

oght mynde?

MarfiaJ : For suth, I am a mayden clene.
210 JosfephJ : Nay, pou spekis now agayne kynde,
Slike ping myght neuere naman of mene.
A maiden to be with childe !
f ase wer[d]is fra pe ar wilde —

Sho is not borne, I wene.
208 has Jiou oght ] omit H 213 werdis ] werkis MS S

York, Joseph (II) 137

Mar[ia] : Joseph, yhe ar begiled, «5

With synne was I neuer filid,

Goddis sande is on me sene.
Josfeph] : Goddis sande ! yha Marie ! God helpe !
But certis pat childe was neuere oures two.
But woman kynde gif pat list yhelpe,
Yhitt walde pei naman wiste per wo.
Mar[ia] : Sertis, it is Goddis sande,

pat sail I neuer ga fra.
JosfephJ : Yha! Marie, drawe thyn hande,

For forther gitt will I frande, 225

I trowe not it be swa.
f e soth fra me gif pat pou layne,
fe childe bering may pou nogt hyde;
But sitte stille here tille I come agayne,
Me bus an erand here beside. 230

Marfia] : Now, grete God, [he] you wisse,
And mende you of your mysse

Of me, what so betyde.
Als he is kyng of blysse,

Sende yhou som seand of pis, [49 a]

In truth pat ye might bide.

[Scene 3]

JosfephJ: Nowe, lord God, pat all ping may
At thine owne will bothe do and dresse,
Wisse me now som redy way
To walk here in pis wildirnesse.

Bot or I passe pis hill,

Do with me what God will,

220 yhelpe ] whelpe H 222 & 223 ] written as one line

in MS 231 he] be MS S, taking wisse as an adj. = wist, not

as vb. = guide ; bitt cf. line 239 235 seand ] sande H K Jris ]

his K

138 York, Joseph (II)

Owther more or lesse,
Here bus me bide full stille
245 Till I haue slepid my fille,
Myn hert so heuy it is.

[He sleeps, then enter Gabriel.]

Ang[elus] : Waken, Joseph, and take bettir kepe

To Marie, pat is pi felawe fest.
JosfephJ : A ! I am full werie, lefe late me slepe,
250 Forwandered and walked in pis forest.
Ang[elus] : Rise vppe and slepe na mare !
f ou makist her herte full sare,

pat loues pe alther best.
Jos[epli] : We ! now es pis a farly fare,
255 For to be cached bathe here and pare,

And nowhere may haue rest.
Say, what arte pou? telle me this thyng!
Ang[elus]: I Gabriell, Goddis aungell full euen,

fat has tane Marie to my kepyng,
260 And sente es pe to say with steuen,
In lele wedlak pou lede pe ;
LefTe hir nogt, I forbid pe,

Na syn of hir pou neuen.
But till hir fast pou spede pe,
265 And of hir noght pou drede pe —

It is Goddis sande of heuen.
The childe pat sail be borne of her
Itt is consayued of pe haly gast.
[49 b] All joie and blisse pan sail be aftir,
27o And to al mankynde nowe althir-mast.
Jesus his name pou calle,
For slike happe sail hym fall

249 A, & lefe] omit K 254 We] omit K 255 For

& bathe ] omit K 269 fran ] omit K 270 nowe ]

omit H

York, Joseph (11) 139

Als pou sail se in haste.
His pepull saff he sail
Of euyllis and angris all, 375

pat pei ar nowe enbraste.

Jos[eph] : And is this soth, aungell, pou saise ?
Angfelus] : Yha! and pis to taken right,
Wende forthe to Marie thy wifFe alwayse;
Brynge her to Bedlem pis ilke nyght; as<>

Ther sail a childe borne be, —
Goddis sone of heuen is hee,

And man ay mast of myght.
JosfephJ : Nowe lorde god ! full wele is me

pat euyr pat I pis sight suld see, *s5

I was neuer [half] so light.
For for I walde hir pus refused,
And sakles blame pat ay was clere,
Me bus pray hir halde me excused,
Als som men dose with full god chere. »<*>

[Scene 4]

Saie, Marie wiffe, how fares pou?
MarfiaJ : J>e bettir, sir, for yhou.

Why stande yhe pare? come nere.
JosfephJ : My bakke fayne wolde I bowe,

And aske fofrjgifnesse nowe, 395

Wiste I pou wolde me here.
Mar [ia] : Forgiifnesse, sir ! late be, for shame !

Slike wordis suld all gud women lakke.
Josfeph] : Yha, Marie, I am to blame

For wordis lang are I to the spak. [50 a]

278 and ] and nim K 285 2nd f>at] omit K & Hall

286 half] ar MS S 287 hir J haue hir H 295 forgifnesse]
fogifnesse MS 299 Marie ] Marie wyff K

140 York, Nativity (III)

But gadir same now all our gere,
Slike poure wede as we were,

And pricke |>am in a pak.
Till Bedlem bus me it bere,
305 For litill thyng will women dere.

Helpe vp nowe on my bak !

301 same ] omit K 305 thyng ] omit K

XIV. THE TILLE THEKERS. [The Nativity.] [5 la]
[Scene 1] . '

Josfeph] : All weldand God in Trinite,
I praye pe. lord, for thy grete myght,
Vnto thy symple seruand see,
Here in pis place wher we are pight,

oure self allone ;
Lord, graunte vs gode herberow pis nyght

within pis wone.

For we haue sought both vppe and doune,
Thurgh diuerse stretis in pis cite ;
So mekill pepull is comen to towne, *o

fat we can nowhare herbered be,

per is slike prees ;
For suthe I can no socoure see,

but belde vs with pere bestes.

And yf we here all nyght abide, is

We shall be stormed in pis steede;
f>e walles are doune on ilke a side,
f e ruffe is rayned aboven oure hede,

als haue I roo,—
Say, Marie doughtir, what is thy rede? ™

How sail we doo?

For in grete nede nowe are we stedde,
As pou thy selffe the soth may see,
For here is nowthir cloth ne bedde,

12 ] ther slike a prees es K 14 vs and J>ere ] omit H K

18 rayned ] rayned Hall, referring to E. Dialect Soc. Diet, uo and
7.5/5 on v&- rfa<ve = to blow off) to unroof

142 York, Nativity (HI)

25 And we are weyke and all werie,

and fayne wolde rest.
Now, gracious god, for thy mercie,
wisse vs ]>e best !

MarfiaJ : God will vs wisse, full wele witt ge,
30 f er-fore, Joseph, be of gud chere,
For in pis place borne will he be
fat sail vs saue fro sorowes sere,

bothe even and morne.
Sir, witte ge wele pe tyme is nere,
35 hee will be borne.

JosfephJ : fan behoves vs bide here stille,

Here in pis same place all pis nyght.
MarfiaJ : ga, sir, forsuth it is Goddis will.
JosfephJ: fan wolde I fayne we had sum light,
40 what so befall.

[51b] It waxes right myrke vnto my sight,

and colde withall.
I will go gete vs light for-thy,
And fewell fande with me to brynge.
45 MarfiaJ : All weldand God yow gouerne and gy,
As he is sufferayne of all thyng,

for his grete myght !
And lende me grace to his louyng
pat I me dight!

50 Nowe in my sawle grete ioie haue I,
I am all cladde in comforte clere,
Now will be borne of my body
Both God and man to-gedir in feere.
Bliste mott he be !
55 Jesu ! my son pat is so dere !

now borne is he!
Hayle my lord God ! hayle prince of pees !

36 here ] full K

York, Nativity (HI) 143

Hayle my fadir! and hayle my sone!

Hayle souereyne sege all synnes to sesse !

Halye God and man in erth to wonne ! 60

Hayle thurgh whos myht
All pis worlde was first be-gonne,

merknes and light!

Sone, as I am sympill sugett of thyne,
Vowchesaffe, swete sone, I pray pe, 65

That I myght ]>e take in pe armys of myne,
And in pis poure wede to arraie pe.

Graunte me pi blisse,
As I am thy modir chosen to be

in sothfastnesse. 70

[Scene 2]

JosfephJ : A ! lorde. what the wedir is colde !
f>e fellest freese pat euere I felyd.
I pray God helpe pam pat is aide,
And namely pam pat is vnwelde,

so may I saie. 75

Now, gud God, pou be my belde,

as pou best may.
A ! lord God ! what light is pis
fat comes shynyng pus sodenly?
I can not saie, als haue I blisse. *°

When I come home vn-to Marie

pan sail I spirre.

64 eympill] omit K 65 I ] I do K 66 j>e] frer S

68 I>i ] fre K

144 York, Nativity (HI)

[Scene 3]

A! here[d] be god, for nowe come I.
Mar[ia] : ge ar welcum, sirre.

85 JosfephJ : Say, Marie doghtir, what chere with pe ?
[52 a] MarfiaJ: Right goode, Joseph, as has been ay.

Josfeph] : O Marie ! what swete thyng is pat on thy kne?
Nar[ia] : It is my sone, pe soth to saye,

pat is so gud.

90Jos[eph]: Wele is me I bade pis day

to se pis foode !
Me merueles mekill of pis light,
pat pus-gates shynes in pis place,
For suth it is a selcouth sight!
95 Mar[ia] : pis hase he ordand of his grace,

my sone so ging,
A starne to be shynyng a space
at his bering.

For Balam tolde ful longe beforne

I00 How pat a sterne shulde rise full hye,

And of a maiden shulde be borne

A sonne pat sail oure saffyng be

fro caris kene.

For suth it is my sone so free

I05 be whame Balam gon mene.

Jos[ephJ : Nowe welcome floure fairest of hewe !
I shall pe menske with mayne amd myght.
Hayle my maker ! hayle Crist Jesu !
Hayle riall kyng, roote of all right !
IIO Hayle saueour!

Hayle my lorde, lemer of light!

Hayle blessid floure !

83 hered ] suggested by K ; MS & S read her 87 0 Marie J

omit H 105] whame he gon meene H, certainly better, but

hardly justifiable 111 lorde ] lorde god K lemer ] lener K

York, Nativity (III) 145

MarfiaJ : Nowe, lord, pat all pis worlde schall wynne,
To pe my sone is pat I saye,

Here is no bedde to laye the inne, »s

perfore my dere sone, I pe praye,

sen it is so,
Here in pis cribbe I myght pe lay

betweene per bestis two.

And I sail happe pe, myn owne dere childe, i*<>

With such clothes as we haue here.

JosfephJ : O Marie! beholde pes beestis mylde, [52 bj

They make louyng in ther manere
as pei wer men ;
For-sothe it semes wele be ther chere ««s

pare lord pei ken.

Mar[ia] : Ther lorde pai kenne, pat wate I wele,—
They worshippe hym with myght and mayne.
The wedir is colde, as ye may fele,
To halde hym warme pei are full fayne »3<>

with pare warme breth,
And oondis on hym; is noght to layne
to warme hym with?

O ! nowe slepis my sone, blist mot he be !
And lyes full warme per bestis by-twene. 135

Jos[eph] : O ! nowe is fulfilled, for-suth I see,
fat Abacuc in mynde gon mene

and preched by prophicie,—
He saide oure sauyoure shall be sene

betwene bestis lye; 140

And nowe I see pe same in sight.
MarfiaJ: ga, sir, for-suth pe same is he.
JosfephJ : Honnoure and worshippe both day and nyght,
Ay-lastand lorde, be done to pe,

119 fcer ] omit K 122 O ] omit K 134 O ] omit K

136 O ] omit K 138 and preched ] omit K

K

146 York Plays

MS all way as is worthy.

And, lord, to thy seruice I oblissh me

with all myn herte holy.
MarfiaJ : .J> ou mercyfull maker, most myghty,

My God, my lorde, my sone so free,
150 Thy hande-mayden for soth am I,
[5 3 a] And to thi seruice I oblissh me,

with all myn herte entere.
Thy blissing, beseke I thee,

pou graunte vs all in feere.

hie caret pasloribiis sequitur postea.

145 all way ] omit K 146 lord ] omit K 147 all

myn ] omit K 152 all myn ] omit K 153 blissing ] dere

blissing K 154 J>ou ] omit K all ] omit K stage direction ]

in a late hand in MS

XV. THE CHAUNDLERS. [The Shepherds' Play.) [54 a]

[Scene 1]

i past [or] : Bredir, in haste takis hede and here

What I wille speke and specific ;

Sen we walke pus, withouten were,

What mengis my moode now [meve yt] will I.

Oure forme-fadres, faythfull in fere, 5

Bothe Osye and Isaye,

Preued that a prins withouten pere

Should descende doune in a lady,

And to make mankynde clerly,

To leche pam pat are lorne; xo

And in Bedlem hereby

Sail pat same barne be borne.
ii pastforj : Or he be borne in burgh hereby,

Balaham, brothir, me haue herde say,

A sterne shulde schyne and signifie, 15

With lightfull lemes like any day.

And als the texte it tellis clerly

By witty lerned men of oure day,

With his blissed bloode he shulde vs by.

He shulde take here all of a may, »o

I herde my syre saye ;

When he of hir was borne,

She shulde be als clene maye
As euer she was by-forne.

4 meve yt] mevyd MS S 7 a] I MS 9 And]

omit H make ] take H, marke K 12 be ] by MS 14 me ]

we H 21 I ] As I K

K2

148 York, Shepherds (IV)

25 Hi Past [or] : A ! mercifull maker, mekill is thy myght,
That pus will to pi seruantes see;
Might we ones loke vppon pat light,
Gladder bretheren myght no men be.
I haue herde say, by pat same light,
30 The childre of Israeli shulde be made free,
The force of the feende to felle in sighte ;
And all his pouer excluded shulde be.
[54b] Wherfore, brether, I rede that wee

Flitte faste ouere thees felles,
35 To frayste to fynde oure fee,
And talke of sumwhat ellis.

[Apparent angeli in ccelo.]

i PasftorJ : We ! hudde !
ii PasftorJ : We ! howe !

i PasftorJ : Herkyn to me !

ii PasftorJ : We, man ! pou maddes all out of myght.
i PasftorJ : We ! colle !

Hi PasftorJ : What care is comen to pe ?

40 i PasftorJ : Steppe furth and stande by me right,

And tell me pan
Yf pou sawe euere swilke a sight !
Hi PasftorJ : I ? nay, certis, nor neuere no man.
ii PasftorJ : Say, felowes, what ! fynde yhe any feest ?
45 Me falles for to haue parte, parde!
i PasftorJ : Whe ! hudde ! be-halde into the heste !
A selcouthe sight pan sail pou see
vppon pe skye !
ii Pasftor] : We ! telle me men, emang vs thre,

28 Gladder bretheren] Gladder, bretheren, H 29 light]

wight K 30 made ] omit K after 36 stage-direction ]

omitted in MS, " Vision of angels in the Sky " S 41-42 ] written
as one line in MS and given to ii Pastor. But II. 40—42 belong to
one speech, and as 1. 44 belongs to ii Pastor, this arrangement seems
to be the one intended S

York, Shepherds (IV) 140

Whatt garres yow stare pus sturdely? 50
Hi Pas[tor] : Als lange as we haue herde-men bene,
And kepis pis catell in pis cloghe,
So selcouth a sight was neuere non sene.
/ PasftorJ : We ! no, colle ! nowe comes it newe i-nowe,

pat mon we [mete], 55

Itt menes some meruayle vs emang. [55 a]

Full hardely I you behete.

fiji PasftorJ : What it shulde mene pat wate not gee,
For all pat ge can gape and gone.

[cantat angelus.J

I can singe itt alls wele as nee, 60

And on a-saie itt sail be sone

proued or we passe,
Yf ge will helpe ; halde on ! late see !

for pus it was.

Et tune cantant.

ii PasftorJ : Ha ! ha ! pis was a mery note, es

Be the dede pat I sail dye!
I haue so crakid in my throte,
fat my lippis are nere drye.
Hi PasftorJ: I trowe you royse,

For what it was fayne witte walde I, 70

That tille vs made pis noble noyse.
i PasftorJ : An aungell brought vs tythandes newe,
A babe in Bedlem shulde be borne,
Of whom pan spake oure [prophitis] trewe,
And bad us mete him pare pis morne, 75

55 mete] fynde MS, S suggests mete or wete 56 vs

emang] withoute wough K 68 ii Pastor] i Pastor MS S,

but more appropriate to ii Pastor and following a speech of i Pastor
after 69 ] omit MS, Angel sings S 63 halde on, late see] late

see ! halde on ! H after Et tune cantant ] in margin in fate

hand: Caret nova loquela de pastore 70 For] But K 74
prophitis ] so H, MS & S read prophicie

150 York, Shepherds (IV)

pat mylde of mode.
I walde giffe hym bothe hatte and home,

And I myght fynde pat frely foode.
Hi PasftorJ : Hym for to finde has we no drede,
so I sail you telle a-chesonne why,

gone sterne to pat lorde sail vs lede.
ii Pasftor] : ga ! pou sais soth, go we for-thy

hym to honnour,
And make myrthe and melody
85 with sange to seke oure savyour.

Et tune cantant.

[Scene 2]

[55 b] I Pasftor] : Breder, bees all blythe and glad,

Here is the burght per we shulde be.
ii PasftorJ : In pat same steede now are we stadde,

Thare-fore I will go seke and see.
90 Slike happe of heele neuere herde-men hadde.

Loo ! here is the house, and here is hee !
Hi PasftorJ : ga ! for sothe, pis is the same,

Loo ! whare pat lorde is layde,
Be-twyxe two bestis tame,
95 Right als pe aungell saide.
i PasftorJ : The Aungell saide pat he shulde saue
This worlde and all pat wones per-in,
Therfore yf I shulde oght aftir crave,
To wirshippe hym I will be-gynne.
ioo Sen I am but a symple knave,
f of-all I come of curtayse kynne,
Loo ! here sylke harnays as I haue,
A baren broche by a belle of tynne

after 99 ] Hie caret nova loquela. MS, in i6th cent. hand. They
adore the child. S 103] A barn-broche bying a belle of

tynne K, a brasen belte and a belle of tynne H, a barred belte
with a broche of tynne. Hall

York, Shepherds (IV) 151

At youre bosom to be,

And whenne ge shall welde all, «s

Gud sonne, for-gete nogt me,

Yf any fordele falle.
ii Pas [tor] : f ou sonne pat shall saue bope see and sande,

Se to me sen I haue pe soght,

I am ovir poure to make presande »«

Als myn harte wolde, and I had oght.
Two cobill notis vppon a bande,
Loo ! litill babe, what I haue broght ;
And when ge sail be lorde in lande,
Dose goode agayne, for-gete me noght. "s

For I haue herde declared [56a]

Of connyng clerkis and clene,
That bountith [askis] rewarde ;

Nowe watte ge what I mene.

Hi Pas [tor] : Nowe loke on me, my lorde dere, "°

fof-all I putte me noght in pres;
Ye are a prince with-outen pere,
I haue no presentte pat you may plees;
But lo ! an home spone pat haue I here,
And it will herber fourty pese;
Jns will I giffe you with gud chere,
Slike novelte may noght disease.
Fare [wele] pou swete swayne,

God graunte vs levyng lange,
And go we hame agayne,

And make mirthe as we gange.

118 askis] aftir MS S ; S suggests askis 128 wele]

omit MS

NOTE ON TEXT OF TOWNELEY PLAYS.

Suggested emendations by Robbing, Eng. Stud. 21. 162ff.,
are denoted in the variants by K, England's emendations
in his edition by E.

TOWNELEY PLAYS.
[Play 10.] INCIPIT ANNUNCIACIO.

Deus : Sythen I haue mayde all thyng of noght,
And Adam with my handis hath wroght
Lyke to myn ymage, att my devyse,
And gyffen hym loy in paradyse,
To won therm, as that I wend, s

To that he dyd that I defend;
Then I hym put out of that place, [28 b]

Hot yit, I myn, I hight hym grace;
Oyll of mercy I can hym heyt,
And tyme also his bayll to beytt; 10

flfor he has boght his syn full sore
Thise fyfe thowsand yens and more,
ffyrst in erthe and sythen in hell ;
Bot long therm shall he not dwell3 —
Out of payn he shall be boght, 15

I wyll not tyne that I haue wroght.
I wyll make redempcyon,
As I hyght, for my person,
All wyth reson and with right,
Both thrugh mercy and thrugh myght. «<>

he shall not, therfor, ay be spylt,
ffor he was wrangwysly begylt;
he shall out of preson pas,
ffor that he begyled was

Thrugh the edder and his wyfe. *s

Thay gart hym towch the tree of lyfe,
And ete the frute that I forbed,
And he was dampned for that dede.

12 fyfe ] v MS

156 Toivneley, Annunciation (I)

Ryghtwysnes wyll we make :

I wyll that my son manhede take;

ffor reson wyll that ther be thre,

A man, a madyn, and a tre :

Man for man, tre for tre,

Madyn for madyn, thus shal it be.

35 My son shall in a madyn light,

Agans the feynd of hell to fight,
wythouten wem, os son thrugh glas,
And she madyn as she was.
Both god and man shall he be,

40 And she moder and madyn fre.

To Abraham I am in dett
To safe hym and his gett,
And I wyll that all prophecye
Be fulfyllyd here by me;

45 ffor I am lord and lech of heyle.

My prophetys shall be funden leyle;
As moyses sayd, and Isay,
Kyng dauid, and leromy,
Abacuk, and daniell,

50 Sybyll sage, that sayde ay well,

And myne othere prophetis all,
As thay haue said, it shall befall.
Ryse vp, gabriell, and weynd
vnto a madyn that is heynd,

55 To nazareth in galilee,

Ther she dwellys in that cytee,
To that vyrgyn, and to that spouse
To a man of dauid house ;
Joseph also he is namyd by,

60 AncJ the madyn name mary.

Angell must to mary go,
ffor the feynd was eue fo,

52 said 1 in late hand in MS

Towneley, Annunciation (1) 157

he was foule and layth to syght,

And thou art angell fayr and bright, —

And hayls that madyn, my lemman, 65

As heyndly as thou can.

Of my behalf thou shall hyr grete,

I haue hyr chosen, that madyn swete ;

She shall conceyf my derlyng

Thrugh thy word and hyr heryng. 7°

In hyr body will I lyght,

That is to me clenly dyght ;

She shall of hyr body bere

God and man wythouten dere ;

She shall be blyssyd wythouten ende. [29 a]

Gray'th the, gabriell, and weynd.

[Scene 2]

Gabriell'. hayll, mary, gracyouse!

hayll, madyn and godis spouse !

Vnto the I lowte ;

Of all vyrgyns thou art qwene so

That euer was or shall be seyn,

wythouten dowte.

hayll, mary, and well thou be !
My lord of heuen is wyth the

wythouten end; ss

hayll, woman most of mede !
Goodly lady, haue thou no drede,

That I commend,

ffor thou has fonden all thyn oone

The grace of god, that was out gone 9°

ffor adam plyght.
This is the grace that the betydys,

158 Towneley, Annunciation (I)

Thou shall conceyue within thi sydys
A chyld of myght.

95 When he is comen, that thi son,

he shall take cyrcumsycyon,—

Call hym ihesum.
Mightfull man shall be he that,
And godys son shall he hat,

ioo By his day com.

My lord also shall gyf hym tyll
hys fader sete, dauid, at wyll

Therin to sytt.

he shall be kyng in lacob kyn,
105 hys kyngdom shall neuer blyn,

lady, well thou wytt.

Maria : What is thi name ?
Gabriel : gabriell,

godys strengthe and his angell,

That comys to the.

"o Maria : fferly gretyng thou me gretys,
A child to bere thou me hetys,
how shuld it be?

I cam neuer by man's syde,
Bot has avowed my madynhede
us ffrom fleshly gett ;

Therfore I wote not how
That this be brokyn as a vow
That I haue hett.

r

Neuer the les well I wote
1*0 To wyrk thi word and hold thi hote

Mightfull god is,
Bot I ne wote of what manere,
Therfore I pray the, messyngere,

That thou me wysh.

Towneley, Annunciation (I) 159

Gabriell: lady, this is the preuate: »s

The holy gost shall light in the,

And his vertue,

he shall vmshade and fulfyll [29 b]

That thi madynhede shall neuer spyll,

Bot ay be new. 130

The child that thou shall bere, madame,
Shall godys son be callid by name;

And se, mary,

Elesabeth, thy cosyn, that is cald geld,
She has conceyffed a son in elde 135

Of zacary ;

And this is, who wyll late,

The sext moneth of hyr conceytate

That geld is cald.

No word, lady, that I the bryng, MO

Is vnmyghtfull to heuen kyng,

Bot all shall hald.

Maria: I lofe my lord all weldand,
I am his madyn at his hand,

And in his wold. MS

I trow bodword that thou me bryng
Be done to me in all thyng,

As thou has told.

Gabriell: Mary, madyn heynd,

me behovys to weynd, 150

my leyf at the I take.
Maria : ffar to my freynd,
who the can send

ffor mankynde sake.

160 Towneley, Annunciation (I)

[Scene 3]

155 loseph : All-myghty god, what may this be ?

Of mary my wyfe meruels me,
Alas, what has she wroght?

A, hyr body is grete, and she with childe !

ifor me was she neuer fylyd,
160 Therfore myin it is noght.

I irke full sore with my lyfe,
That euer I wed so yong a wyfe,

That bargan I may ban ;
To me it was a carefull dede,
165 I myght well wyt that yowthede

wolde haue lyking of man.

I am old, sothly to say,
passed I am all preuay play,

The gams fro me ar gane.
17° It is ill cowpled of youth and elde,

I wote well, for I am vnwelde,

som othere has she tane.

she is with chyld, I wote neuer how,
Now who wold any woman trow?
175 Certys no man that can any goode.

I wote not in the warld what I shuld do,
But now then wyll I weynd hyr to,
And wytt who owe that foode.

[Scene 4]

hayll, mary, and well be ye !

X8o why, bot woman, what chere with the?

Maria: The better, sir, for you.
loseph: So wold I, woman, that ye wore,
Bot certys, mary, I rew full sore
It standys so with the now.

Towncley, Annunciation (I) 161

Hot of a thyng frayn the I shall, [30 a]

who owe this child thou gose withall ?

Maria : Syr, ye and god of heuen.

Joseph : Myne, mary ? do way thi dyn !

That I shuld oght haue parte therin

Thou nedys it not to neuen. 190

wherto neuyns thou me therto?

I had neuer with the to do,
how shuld it then be myne?

whos is that chyld, so god the spede?
Maria : Syr, godys and yowrs, with-outen drede. 195
loseph : That word had thou to tyne,

ffor it is right full far me fro,

And I forthynkys thou has done so

Thise ill dedys bedene.

And if thou speke thi selfe to spyll, *<»

It is full sore agans my wyll,

If better myght haue bene.

Maria : At godys wyll, loseph, must it be,
ffor certanly bot god and ye

I know none othere man, »<>5

ffor fleshly was I neuer fylyd.
loseph: how shuld thou thus then be with chyld?
Excuse the well thou can !

I blame the not, so god me saue,

woman maners if that thou haue, «°

Bot certys I say the this :
well wote thou, and so do I,
Thi body fames the openly,

That thou has done amys.

Maria : yee, god he knowys all my doyng. aiS

loseph : we ! now this is a wonder thyng,
I can noght say therto,
L

J62 Towneley, Annunciation (I)

Bot in my hart I haue grett care,
And ay the longer mare and mare,
220 ffor doyll what shall I do ?

Godys and myn she says it is !
I wyll not fader it, she says amys.

ffor shame yit shuld she let
To excuse hir velany by me.
225 with hir I thynk no longer be,

I rew that euer we met.

And how we met ye shall wyt sone :
Men vse yong chyldren for to done

In temple for to lere;

230 So dyd thay hir, to she wex more

Then othere madyns wyse of lore,

then byshopes sayd to hir:

"Mary, the behowfys to take
Som yong man to be thi make,
235 As thou seys other hane

In the temple, which thou wyll neuen."
And she sayd: "none bot god of heuen,'?-
To hym she had hir tane.

[30 b] She wold none othere for any sagh;

240 Thay sayd she must, it was the lagh,

She was of age thertill.
To the temple thay somond old and ying,
All of luda ofspryng,
The law for to fulfill.

245 Thay gaf ich man a white wand,

And bad vs bere them in oure hande,

To offre with good intent.
Thay offerd thare yerdes vp in that tyde ;
ffor I was old I stode be syde,

250 I wyst not what thay ment.

Towneley, Annunciation (I) 163

Thay lakyd oone thay sayde in hy,
All had offerd, thay sayd, bot I,

ffor I ay withdrogh me.
ffurth with my wande thay mayd me com,
In my hand it floryshed with blome, *$s

Then sayde they all to me :

"If thou be old meruell not the,
ffor god of heuen thus ordans he,

Thi wand shewys openly;

It florishes so, withouten nay, a6°

That the behovys wed mary the may."

A sory man then was I.

I was full sory in my thoght,
I sayd for old I myght noght

hir haue neuer the wheder. »6s

I was vnlykely to hir so y[i]ng,
Thay sayde ther helpyd none excusyng,

And wed vs thus togeder.

when I all thus had wed hir thare,

we and my madyns home [g]an fare, 270

That kyngys doghters were.
All wroght thay sylk to fynd them on ;
Marie wroght purpyll, the oder none

bot othere colers sere.

I left thaym in good peasse, wenyd I; a?s

Into the contre I went on hy,

My craft to vse with mayn,
To gett oure lyfyng I must nede;
On marie I prayd them take good hede,

To that I cam agane. »8o

266 ying ] yong MS, E 270 gan ] can MS, E

L2

164 Towneley, Annunciation (I)

Neyn monethes was I fro that myld ;
when I cam home she was with chyld,—

Alas, I sayd, for shame !
I askyd ther women who that had done,
And thay me sayde an angell sone

syn that I went from hame :
u An angell spake with that wyght,
And no man els, bi day nor nyght,

sir, therof be ye bold."
29° Thay excusyd hir thos sothly

To make hir clene of hir foly,

And babyshed me that was old.
[3 la] Shuld an angell this dede haue wroght?

Sich excusyng helpys noght,
295 ffor no craft that thay can.

A heuenly thyng forsothe is he,
And she is erthely ; this may not be,

It is som othere man.
Certys I forthynk sore of hir dede,
3°° Bot it is long of yowth-hede,

All sich wanton playes,
ffor yong women wyll nedys play them
with yong men, if old forsake them,

Thus it is sene always.

305 Bot marie and I playd neuer so sam,

Neuer togeder we vsid that gam,

I cam hir neuer so nere.
she is as clene as cristall clyfe
ffor me, and shalbe whyls I lyf, —
310 The law wyll it be so.

And then am I cause of hir dede?
ffor-thi then can I now no rede,

Alas, what I am wo !

281 Neyn ] ix MS

Towneley, Annunciation (I) 165

And sothly, if it so befall,

Godys son that she be withall — 3*5

If sich grace myght betyde —
I wote well that I am not he
which that is worthy to be

That blyssed body besyde,

Nor yit to be in company ; 320

To wyldernes I will, for-thi,

Enfors me for to fare,
And neuer longer with hir dele,
Bot stylly shall I from hir stele,

That mete shall we no mare. 3*5

[Scene 5|

Angelus: Do wa, Joseph, and mend thy thoght,

I warne the well, and weynd thou noght

To wyldernes so wylde.
Turne home to thi spouse agane,
look thou deme in hir no trane, 330

fTor she was neuer fFylde.

wyte thou no wyrkyng of Werkys wast ;
She hase consauyd the holy gast,

And she shall bere godys son.
ffor-thy with hir in thi degre, 335

Meke and buxom looke thou be,

And with hir dwell and won.

Joseph: A, lord, I lofe the all alon,

That vowches safe that I be oone

To tent that chyld so ying, 340

I that thus hajie vngrathly gone,
And vntruly taken apon

Mary, that dere darlyng.

166 Towneley, Annunciation (I)

I rewe full sore that I haue sayde,
345 And of hir byrding hir vpbrade,

And she not gylty is.

[31b] ffor-thi to hir now wyll I weynde,

And pray hir for to be my freynde,
And aske hir forgyfnes.

[Scene 6]

350 A, mary, wyfe, what chere?

Maria : The better, sir, that ye are here.

Thus long where haue ye lent?
loseph: Certys, walkyd aboute lyke a fon,
That wrangwysly hase taken apon,
355 I wyst neuer What I ment.

Bot I wote well, my lemman fre,
I haue trespast to god and the,

iforgyf me I the pray !
Maria: Now all that euer ye sayde me to
360 God forgyf you, and I do

With all the myght I may.
loseph: Gramercy, mary, thi good wyll

So kyndly forgyfys that I sayde yll,

When I [g]an the vpbrade.
36S Bot well is hym hase sich a fode,

A meke wyf; withouten goode

he may well hold hym payde.
A, what I am as light as lynde !
he that may both lowse and bynde,
370 And euery mys amend,

leyn me grace, powere, and myght,
My wyfe and hir swete yong wight
To kepe to my lyfys ende.

Explicit Annunciacio beate Marie.
365 gan] can MS, E

Towneley Plays 167

[Play 11.] INCIPIT SALUTACIO ELEZABETH.

Maria : My lord of heuen, that syttys he
And all thyng seys with ee,

The safe, Elezabeth !

Elezabeth: Welcom, mary, blyssyd blome,
loyfull am I of thi com
To me, from nazareth.

Maria: how standys it with you, dame, of qwart?
Elezabeth: well, my doghter and dere hart,

As can for myn elde.

Maria: To speke with you me thoght full lang, I0

ffor ye with childe in elde gang,

And ye be cald geld.

Elezabeth: ffull lang shall I the better be

That I may speke my fyll with the,

My dere kyns Woman, 15

To wytt how thi freyndys fare
In thi countre where thay are,

Therof tell me thou can,

And how thou farys, my dere derlyng. |32a]

Maria: Well, dame, gramercy youre askyng,

ffbr good I wote ye spyr.
Elezabeth: And loachym, thy fader, at hame,
And Anna, my nese, and thi dame,
how standys it with hym and hir?

Maria: Dame, yit ar thay both on-lyfe, 2S

Both ioachym and anna his wyfe.
Elezabeth : Els were my hart full sore.
Maria: Dame, god that all may,

yeld you that ye say,
And blys you therfore.

168 Towneley, Salutation (II)

Elezabeth : Blyssyd be thou of all women,
And the fruyte that I well ken

Within the wombe of the.
And this tyme may I blys
35 That my lordys moder is

Comen thus vnto me.

ffor syn that tyme full well I wote,
The stevyn of angell voce it smote

And rang now in myn ere.
40 A selcouth thyng is me betyde,

The chyld makys loy, as any b[ry]d

That I in body bere.

And als, mary, blyssed be thou,
That stedfastly wold trow
45 The wordys of oure heven kyng;

Therefore all thyng now shall be kend,
That vnto the were sayd or send
By the angell gretyng.

Maria : Magnificat anima dominum.

My saull lufys my lord abuf,
so And my gost gladys with luf,

In god that is my hele ;
ffor he has bene sene agane,
The buxumnes of his bane,
And kept me madyn lele.

55 Lo, therof what me shall betyde :

All nacyons on euery syde

Blyssyd shall me call,
ffor he that is full of myght
Mekyll thyng to me has dyght,

60 his name be blyssed ouer all,

41 bryd ] byrd MS, E

Towneley, Salutation (II) 169

And his mercy is also

ffrom kynde to kynde, tyll all tho

That ar hym dredand.
Myght in his armes he wroght,
And dystroed in his thogth 65

Prowde men and hygh berand.

Myghty men furth of sete he dyd,
And he hyghtynd in that stede

The meke men of hart.

The hungre With all good he fyld, [32 b]

And left the rich outt-shyld,

Thaym to Vnquart.

Israeli has vnder law,
his awne son in his awe,

By menys of his mercy ; 75

As he told before by name
To oure fader abraham,

And seyd of his body.

Elezabeth, myn awnt dere,

My lefe I take at you here, so

ffor I dwell now full lang.
Elezabeth : wyll thou now go, godys fere ?

Com kys me, doghter, with good chere,
or thou hens gang.

ffarewell now, thou frely foode ! s5

I pray the be of comforth goode,

ffor thou art full of grace.
Crete well all oure kyn of bloode !
That lord, that the with grace infude,

he saue all in this place ! 90

Explicit Salutacio Eltzabcth.

170 Towneley Plays

[Play 12.] INCIPIT PAGINA PASTORUM.

Primus Pastor:

Lord, what thay ar weyll that hens ar past !
ffor thay noght feyll theym to downe cast,
here is mekyll vnceyll and long has it last,
Now in hart, now in heyll, now in weytt, now in blast,
s Now in care,

Now in comforth agane,
Now [in] fayre, now [in] rane,
Now in hart full fane,
And after full sare.

[33 a] Thus this Warld, as I say, farys on ylk syde,
ffor after oure play com sorows vnryde,
ffor he that most may When he syttys in pryde,
When it comys on assay is kesten downe wyde.

This is seyn,
15 When ryches is he,
Then comys pouerte ;
hors-man lak cope
Walkys then, I weyn.

I thank it god, hark ye what I mene,
20 ffor euen or for od I haue mekyll tene,
As heuy as a sod I grete with myn eene,
When I nap on my cod, for care that has bene,

And sorrow.
All my shepe ar gone,
25 I am not left oone,

The rott has theym slone,
Now beg I and borow.

7 in-in] is-is MS, E

Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III) 171

My handys may I wryng and mowrnyng make,
But-if good will spryng the countre forsake ;
ffermes thyk ar coming, my purs is bot wake,
I haue nerehand nothyng to pay nor to take.

I may syng
With purs penneles,
That makys this heuynes.
Wo is me this dystres ! 35

And has no helpyng.

Thus sett I my mynde, truly to neuen,
By my wytt to fynde to cast the warld in seuen.
My shepe haue I tynde by the moren full euen!
Now if hap will grynde, god from his heuen 40

Send grace !
To the fare will I me
To by shepe, perde,
And yit may I multyple,

ffor all this hard case. 45

Secundus pastor :

Benste, benste! be vs emang,
And saue all that I se here in this thrang!
he saue you and me, ouertwhart and endlang,
That hang on a tre, I say you no wrang!

Cryst saue vs
ffrom all myschefys,
ifrom robers and thefys,
ffrom those mens' grefys

That oft ar agans vs.

Both bosters and bragers god kepe vs fro, |33b|

That with thare long dagers dos mekyll wo,
ffrom all byll-hagers with colknyfys that go.
Sich wryers and wragers gose to and fro
ffor to crack;

172 Towneley, First Shepherds1 Play (III)

60 Whoso says hym agane,
were better be slane;
Both ploghe and wane
Amendys will not make.

he will make it as prowde a lord as he were,
65 With a hede lyke a clowde ffelterd his here,
he spekys on-lowde with a grym bere,
I wold not haue trowde so galy in gere

As he glydys.
I wote not the better,
70 Nor wheder is gretter,
The lad or the master.
So stowtly he strydys.

If he hask me oght that he wold to his pay,
ffull dere bese it boght if I say nay.
75 Bot god that all wroght, to the now I say,
help that thay were broght to a better way

ffor thare sawlys,
And send theym good mandyng
With a short endyng,
80 And with the to be lendyng
When that thou callys.

how, gyb, goode morne, wheder goys thou?
Thou goys ouer the corne, gyb, I say, how !
primus pastor :

Who is that ? John home ! I make god a vow !
85 I say not in scorne, [Jhon], how farys thou ?
Secundus pastor : hay, ha[y] !

Ar ye in this towne?
primus pastor : yey, by my crowne !
ijus pastor : I thoght by youre gowne
90 This was youre aray.

85 Jhon] thorn MS, E 86 liay] ha MS, E

I

Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III) 173

primus pastor :

I am euer elyke, wote I neuer what it gars;

Is none in this ryke a shepard farys wars.
ijus pastor :

poore men ar in the dyke, and oft tyme mars ;

The warld is slyke, also helpars

Is none here. 95

primus pastor : It is sayde full ryfe,

" a man may not wyfe

and also thryfe,
And all in a yere."

ijus pastor : ffyrst must vs crepe and sythen go. *«>

primus pastor : I go to by shepe.

Secundus : nay? n°t so !

What, dreme ye or slepe? where shuld thay go? [34 a]

here shall thou none kepe.

primus pastor : A, good sir ho !

Who am I?

I wyll pasture my fe

where so euer lykys me,

here shall thou theym se.
ijus pastor : Not so hardy !

Not oone shepe tayll shall thou bryng hedyr.
primus pastor :

I shall bryng, no fayll, A hundreth togedyr. no

ijus pastor:

What, art thou in ayll? longs thou oght whedir?
primus pastor :

Thay shall go, saunce fayll ; go now, bell-weder !
ijus pastor : I say, tyr !

primus pastor : I say, tyr, now agane !

I say skyp ouer the plane! n5

ijus pastor : wold thou neuer so fane,
Tup, I say, whyr!

174 Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III)

primus pastor :

What, wyll thou not yit, I say, let the shepe go ?
Whop!

Secundus pastor : abyde yit !

primus pastor : Will thou hot so !

120 knafe, hens I byd flytt as good that thou do,
Or I shall the hytt on thi pate, lo,

shall thou reyll.
I say, gyf the shepe space.
ijus pastor :

Syr— a letter of your grace —
us here comys slaw-pase
ffro the myln-whele.

Tercius pastor :

What a do, what a do is this you betweyn?
A ! good day, thou, and thou.
primus pastor : hark what I meyn

you to say, —

13° I was bowne to by store,
drofe my shepe me before,
he says not oone hore
shall pas by this way,

Bot, and he were wood, this way shall thay go.
iijus pastor:

135 yey, bot tell me good where ar youre shepe, lo?
ijus pastor : Now, sir, by my hode, yit se I no mo,

Not syn I here stode.
iijus pastor : god gyf you wo

and sorow !

ye fysh before the nett,
MO And str.yfe on this bett
sich folys neuer I mett
Evyn or at morow.

Towneley, First Shepherds Play (HI) 175

It is wonder to wyt where wytt shuld be fownde,
here ar old knafys yit standys on this grownde,
these wold by thare wytt make a ship be drownde ; w
he were well qwytt had sold for a pownde

sich two.

thay fyght and thay flyte
ffor that [th]at comys not tyte;
It is far to byd hyte 'so

To an eg or it go.

Tytter want ye sowll then sorow I pray ; [34b]

Ye brayde of mowll that went by the way,
Many shepe can she poll bot oone had she ay,
Bot she happynyd full fowll; hyr pycher, I say, 'ss

Was broken,
"ho, god," she sayde,
bot oone shepe yit she hade ;
The mylk pycher was layde,

The skarthis was the tokyn. l6°

Bot syn ye ar bare of wysdom to kn[a]we,
Take hede how I fare and lere at my lawe ;
ye nede not to care if ye folow my sawe.
hold ye my mare, this sek thou thrawe

On my bak, l6s

Whylst I, with my hand,
lawse the sek band ;
Com nar and by stand

Both gy[b] and lak.

Is not all shakyn owte and no meyll is therm? 170
primus pastor : yey, that is no dowte.
Tercius pastor : so is youre wyttys thyn.

And ye look well abowte nawther more nor myn,

149 that] at MS, E 161 knawe] so E, MS has knowe

169 gyb] gygMS, E

176 Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III)

So gose youre wyttys owte evyn as It com In. —

Geder vp
175 And seke it agane.

ijus pastor : May we not be fane —
he has told vs full plane—
Wysdom to sup ?

lak garcio: Now god gyf you care; foles all sam
180 Sagh I neuer so fare bot the foles of gotham.

Wo is hir that you bare, youre syre and youre dam,
had she broght furth an hare, a shepe, or a lam,

had bene well.
Of all the foles I can tell
i8s ffrom heuen vnto hell
ye thre bere the bell,
God gyf you vnceyll.

primus pastor :

how pastures oure fee? say me, good pen.
Garcio: Thay are gryssed to the kne.
ijus pastor : fare fall the !

Garcio : Amen !

190 If ye will ye may se youre bestes ye ken.
primus pastor :

Sytt we downe all thre and drynk shall we then.
iijus pastor : yey torde !
I am leuer ete.

what is drynk withoute mete?
195 Gett mete, gett,

And sett vs a borde,

Then may we go dyne oure bellys to fyll.
ijus pastor : Abyde vnto syne !
iijus pastor : be god, sir, I nyll !

I am worthy the wyne, me thynk it good skyll.
[35 a] Me seruyse I tyne, I fare full yll
At youre mangere.

Towneley, First Shepherds" Play (III) 177

pastor: Trus ! go we to mete,
It is best that we trete,
I lyst not plete

To stand in thi dangere ; aoS

Thou has euer bene curst syn we met togeder.
iijus pastor:

Now in fayth, if I durst, ye ar euen my broder.
ijus pastor :

Syrs, let vs cryb furst for oone thyng or oder,

That thise wordis be purst, and let vs go foder
Oure mompyns. «<>

lay furth of oure store,

lo here ! browne of a bore.
primus pastor : Set mustard afore,
oure mete now begyns,

here a foote of a cowe well sawsed, I wene, 215
The pestell of a sowe that powderd has bene,
Two blodyngs, I trow, A leueryng betwene, —
Do gladly, syrs, now my breder bedene,

With more.

Both befe, and moton a™

Of an ewe that was roton,
Good mete for a gloton;

Ete of this store.

ijus pastor : I haue here in my mayll sothen and rost,
Euen of an ox tayll that wold not be lost, «s

— ha ! ha ! goderhayll ! I let for no cost—
A good py or we fayll, this is good for the frost

In a mornyng,
And two swyne gronys,

All an hare bot the lonys ; *3°

We myster no sponys

here, at oure mangyng.
M

178 Towneley, First Shepherds'1 Play (HI)

iijus pastor : here is to recorde the leg of a goys,

with chekyns endorde, pork, partryk, to roys,
235 A tart for a lorde, how thynk ye this doys?
A calf lyuer skorde with the veryose,

Good sawse,
This is a restorete
To make a good appete.
240 primus pastor: yee speke all by clergefte],
I here by your clause.

Cowth ye by youre gramery reche vs a drynk,
I shuld be more mery, ye wote What I thynk.
ijus pastor :

haue good ayll of hely, bewar now, I wynk,
245 ffor and thou drynk drely in thy poll wyll it synk.
primus pastor : A ! so !

This is boyte of oure bayll,
good holsom ayll.

iijus pastor : ye hold long the skayll,
250 Now lett me go to.

Secundus pastor :

I shrew those lyppys bot thou leyff me som parte.
primus pastor :

be god ! he bot syppys, begylde thou art,
Behold how he kyppys.
[35 b] Secundus pastor : I shrew you so smart,

And me on my hyppys bot-if I gart
255 Abate.

Be thou wyne, be thou ayll,
bot-if my brethe fayll,
I shall sett the on-sayll;
God send the good gayte!

240 clergete] so E; MS has clerge.

Towncley, First Shepherds' Play (III) 179

Tercius pastor :

Be my dam saul, alyce, It was sadly dronken. »<*>
primus pastor :

Now, as ever haue I blys, to the bothom it is sonken
ijus pastor : yit a botell here is.
Tercius pastor : that is well spoken,

By my thryft ; we must kys.

Secundus pastor : that had I forgoten.

Bot hark!

Who so can best syng »65

Shall haue the begynnyng.
primus pastor : Now prays at the partyng
I shall sett you on warke;

We haue done oure parte and songyn right weyll ;

I drynk for my parte.

ijus pastor : Abyde, lett cop reyll. «?<>

primus pastor :

Godys forbot, thou spart and thou drynk euery deyll.
iijus pastor : Thou hast dronken a quart, therefore

choke the the deyll.
primus pastor : Thou rafys ;

And it were for a sogh

Ther is drynk enogh. 375

iijus pastor: I shrew the handys it drogh!
ye be both knafys.

primus pastor : Nay, we knaues all, thus thynk me best,

so, sir, shuld ye call.
ijus pastor : furth let it rest :

we will not brail.
primus pastor : then wold I we fest : »*>

This mete Who shall into panyere kest?
iijus pastor : syrs, herys !

ffor oure saules lett vs do,

Poore men gyf it to.

M2

180 Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III)

285 primus pastor : Geder vp, lo, lo,
ye hungre begers ffrerys !

ijus pastor : It draes nere nyght, trus ! go we to rest,

I am euen redy dyght, I thynk it the best.
iijus pastor : if or ferde we be fryght a crosse lett vs kest —
29° Cryst crosse, benedyght eest and west,

ffor drede.
Ihesus onazorus,
Crucyefixus,
Morcus, andreus,

295 God be OUre Spede ! [tune dormient pastoresj

Angelus : herkyn, hyrdes, awake ! gyf louyng ye shall ;
he is borne for youre sake, lorde perpetuall ;
he is comen to take and rawnson you all ;
youre sorowe to slake, kyng emperiall,
300 he behestys.

That chyld is borne
At bethelem this rnorne,
ye shall fynde hym beforne

Betwix two bestys.
[36 a] Primus pastor:

A, godys dere dominus ! What was that sang ?
3o6 It was wonder curiose with small noytys emang.
I pray to god saue vs now in this thrang,
I am ferd, by ihesus, somwhat be wrang ;

Me thoght

3IO Gone scremyd on-lowde,
I suppose it was a clowde,
In myn erys it sowde,

By hym that me boght!
Secundus pastor : Nay, that may not be, I say you certan,

ffor he spake to vs thre as he had bene a man ;

315 *

292 Ihesus ] so E, MS reads ilic. after 295, stage-direction ] omit
MS, They sleep E 308 ihesus ] ihc MS

Towmley, First Shepherds' Play (III) 181

When he lemyd on this lee my hart shakyd than,
An angell was he, tell you I can,

No dowte.

He spake of a barne,
We must seke hym I you warne,
That betokyns yond starne

That standys yonder owte.

Tercius pastor :

It was maruell to se so bright as it shone,
I wold haue trowyd, veraly, it had bene thoner-flone,
But I sagh with myn ee as I lenyd to this stone ; 325
It was a mery gle, sich hard I neuer none.

I recorde

As he sayde in a skreme,
Or els that I dreme,
We shuld go to bedleeme, 330

To wyrship that lorde.

primus pastor :

That same childe is he that prophetys of told,

Shuld make them fre that adam had sold.
ijus pastor: Take tent vnto me, this is inrold

By the wordys of Isae : a prynce most bold
shall he be,

And kyng with crowne

Sett on dauid throne,

Sich was neuer none

Seyn with oure ee. 340

iijus pastor:

Also Isay says, oure faders vs told,
That a vyrgyn shuld pas of lesse, that wold,
Bryng furth, by grace, a floure so bold.
That vyrgyn now has these wordys vphold

As ye se. 345

182 Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III)

Trust it now we may,
he is borne this day,
Exiet virga

De radice iesse.

350 primus pastor : Of hym spake more Sybyll, as I weyn,
And nabugodhonosor from oure fay the alyene,
In the fornace where thay wore thre childre sene,
The fourt stode before, godys son lyke to bene.
ijus pastor : That fygure
ass Was gyfFen by reualacyon
[36 b] That god wold haue a son;
This is a good lesson
Vs to consydure.

Tercius pastor:

Of hym spake leromy and moyses also,
sflo Where he sagh hym by a bushe burnand, lo !
when he cam to aspy if it were so,
Vnburnyd was it truly at corny ng therto,

A wonder.

primus pastor: That was for to se
365 hir holy vyrgynyte,

That she vnfylyd shuld be,
Thus can I ponder,

And shuld haue a child sich was neuer sene.
ijus pastor :

pese, man, thou art begyld, thou shall se hym with
370 Of a madyn so myld greatt meruell I mene, [eene,
yee, and she vnfyld a virgyn clene,

So soyne.
primus pastor : Nothyng is inpossybyll,

sothly, that god wyll;
375 It shalbe stabyll

That god wyll haue done.

Tmvmley, First Shepherds Play (HI) 183

ijus pastor : Abacuc and ely prophesyde so,

Elezabeth and zachare, and many other mo,

And dauid as veraly is witnes therto,

lohn Baptyste sewrly and daniel also,
iijus pastor : So sayng :

he is godys son alon,

withoute hym shalbe none,

his sete and his trone

Shall euer be lastyng. 385

primus pastor :

Virgill, in his poetre, sayde in his verse
Even thus by gramere, as I shall reherse:
ulam noua progenies celo demittitur alto,
lam rediet virgo, redeunt saturnia regna."

ijus pastor :

weme ! torde ! what speke ye here in myn eeres ?
Tell vs no clerge, I hold you of the freres.

ye preche ! 390

It semys by youre laton
ye haue lerd youre caton.
primus pastor : herk, syrs, ye fon,
I shall you teche.

he sayde from heuen a new kynde is send, 395

whom a vyrgyn to neuen, oure mys to amend,
Shall conceyue full euen, thus make I an end.
And yit more to neuen, that samyne shall bend [37 a]

vnto vs,

With peasse and plente, 400

with ryches and menee,
Good luf and charyte

Blendyd amanges vs.

398—402 1 indistmct m MS, touched up by late hanJ

184 Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III)

Tercius pastor : And I hold it trew, ffor ther shuld be,
405 When that kyng commys, new peasse by land and se.
ijus pastor : Now, brethre, adew ! take tent vnto me !
I wold that we knew of this song so fre

Of the angell ;
I hard by hys steuen
4--o he was send downe ifro heuen.

primus pastor : It is trouth that ye neuen,
I hard hym well spell.

ijus pastor :

Now by god that me boght, it was a mery song
I dar say that he broght foure & twenty to a long.
415 iijus pastor : I wold it were soght that same vs emong.
primus pastor : In fayth I trow noght so many he throng

On a heppe ;

Thay were gentyll and small,
And well tonyd with all.
420 iijus pastor : yee, bot I can thaym all,
Now lyst I lepe.

primus pastor : Brek outt youre voce, let se as ye yelp.
iijus pastor : I may not for the pose bot I haue help.
secundus pastor :

A ! thy hart is in thy hose !
primus pastor: now, in payn of a skelp

This sang thou not lose !
425 iijus pastor : thou art an yll qwelp

ffor angre !

secundus pastor : Go to now, begyn !
primus pastor : he lyst not well ryn.
Iijus pastor : God lett vs neuer blyn ;
430 Take at my sangre.

primus pastor :

Now an ende haue we doyn of oure song this tyde.
ijus pastor : ifayr fall thi growne, well has thou hyde.

Towneley, First Shepherds Play (III) 185

iijus pastor : Then furth lett vs ron, I wyll not abyde.
primus pastor : No lyght makethe mone, that haue I

Neuer the less [asspyde; 435

lett vs hold oure beheste.
ijus pastor : That hold I best.
iijus pastor : Then must we go eest,

After my ges.

primus pastor: 440

wold god that we myght this yong bab see !
ijus pastor : Many prophetys that syght desyryd veralee

to haue seen that bright.
iijus pastor : and god so hee

wold shew vs that Wyght, we myght say, perde, [37 b]
We had sene

That many sant desyryd, 445

with prophetys inspyryd ;

If thay hym requyryd

yit I-closyd ar thare eene.

ijus pastor : God graunt vs that grace !

Tercius pastor : god so do !

primus pastor : Abyde, syrs, a space, lo yonder, lo ! 450

It comys on a rase, yond sterne vs to.
ijus pastor : It is a grete blase, oure gate let vs go.

[tune ibunt pastores ad Bethltm.]

[Scene 2]

[ijus pastor] : here he is !
•iijus pastor: Who shall go in before?
primus pastor : I ne rek, by my hore. 455

ijus pastor : ye ar of the old store,
It semys you, Iwys.

after 452, tune ibunt etc. ] omit MS, They go to Bethlehem E
after 457] They enter the stable E

186 Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (III)

primus pastor:

hayll, kyng I the call ! hayll, most of myght !
hayll, the worthyst of all ! hayll, duke ! hayll, knyght !
460 Of greatt and small thou art lorde by right;
hayll, perpetuall ! hayll, fayrst wyght !

here I offer,
I pray the to take
If thou wold for my sake,
465 — with this may thou lake —
This lytyll spruse cofer.

Secundus pastor :

hayll, lytyll tyn mop, rewarder of mede!

hayll, bot oone drop of grace at my nede !

hayll, lytyll mylk sop ! hayll, dauid sede !
470 Of oure crede thou art crop, hayll, in god-hede !
This ball

That thou wold resaue !

lytyll is that I haue ;

This wyll I vowche-saue,
475 To play the with all.

iijus pastor : hayll, maker of man ! hayll, swetyng !
hayll, so as I can, hayll, praty mytyng!
I cowche to the than, for fayn nere gretyng.
hayll, lord! here I ordan now at oure metyng
480 This botell—

It is an old by-worde,
It is a good bowrde
for to drynk of a gowrde —
It holdys a mett potell.

485 Maria : he that all myghtys may, the makere of heuen,
That is for to say, my son that I neuen,
Rewarde you this day, as he sett all on seuen.
He graunt you for ay his blys full euen
Contynuyng.

Towneley, First Shepherds' Play (HI) 187

»

He gyf you good grace ! [38 a]

Tell furth of this case. 49*

he spede youre pase,

And graunt you good endyng!

primus pastor :

ffare-well, fare lorde ! with thy moder also.
ijus pastor : we shall this recorde where as we go. 495
iijus pastor:

we mon all be restorde, god graunt it be so !
primus pastor: Amen to that worde, syng we therto
On hight.

To loy all sam,

With myrth and gam, -\ s<*>

To the lawde of this lam
Syng we in syght.

Explicit Vna pagina pastortim.

[PLAY 13.] INCIPIT ALIA EORUNDEM.

Primus pastor : [happy d ;

Lord, what these weders ar cold ! and I am yll
I am nere-hand dold so lang haue I nappyd,
My legys thay fold, my fyngers ar chappyd,
It is not as I wold, for I am al lappyd
s In sorow,

In stormes and tempest,
Now in the eest, now in the west,
wo is hym has neuer rest
Myd day nor morrow !

Bot we sely shephardes, that walkys on the more,
In fayth we are nere-handys outt of the doore.
[38 b] No wonder, as it standys, if we be pore,

fTor the tylthe of cure landys lyys falow as the floore,

As ye ken.
is we ar so [Ijamyd,
ifor-taxed and ramyd,
We ar mayde hand-tamyd
with these gentlery men.

Thus thay refe vs oure rest, oure lady theym wary !
These men, that ar lord, fest, thay cause the ploghe

tary.

That men say is for the best we fynde it contrary ;
Thus ar husbandys opprest in po[i]nte to myscary

On lyfe.

Thus hold thay vs hunder,
25 Thus thay bryng vs to blonder;
It were greatte wonder

And euer we shuld thryfe.

15 lamyd] hamyd MS, E 22 pointe] ponte MS

Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 189

Ther shall com a swane as prowde as a po ;

he must borow my wane, my ploghe also,

Then am I full fane to graunt or he go. 30

Thus lyf we in payne, Anger, and wo,

By nyght and day ;
He must haue if he langyd ;
If I shuld forgang it,
1 were better be hangyd 35

Then oones say hym nay.

ffor may he gett a paynt slefe or a broche, now-on-

dayes,

wo is hym that hym grefe or onys agane-says !
Dar noman hym reprefe what mastry he mays,
And yit may noman lefe oone word that he says, 40

No letter.

he can make purveance
with boste and bragance,
And all is thrugh mantenance

Of men that are gretter. 45

It does me good, as I walk thus by myn oone,
Of this warld for to talk in maner of mone.
To my shepe wyll I stalk and herkyn anone,
Ther abyde on a balk or sytt on a stone

fful soyne. 50

ffor I trowe, perde,
trew men if thay be,
we gett more compane

Or it be noyne.

Secundus pastor :

Benste and dominus ! what may this bemeyne ? 55
why, fares this warld thus oft haue we not sene?

28-36 follow 37-45 in MS & E. Kdlbing suggests this emendation .

190 Towneley, Second Shepherds3 Play (IV)

lord, thyse weders ar spy tus and the weders full kene,
[39 a] And the frostys so hydus thay water myn eeyne,

Noly.

60 Now in dry, now in wete,
Now in snaw, now in slete,
When my shone freys to my fete,
It is not all esy.

Bot as far as I ken, or yit as I go,
65 we sely wedmen dre mekyll wo,

We haue sorow then and then, it fallys oft so.
Sely capyle, oure hen, both to and fro

She kakyls,

Bot begyn she to crok,
7o To groyne, or [to clojk,
Wo is hym of oure cok,
ifor he is in the shekyls.

These men that ar wed hane not all thare wyll ;
when they ar full hard sted, thay sygh full styll,
75 God wayte, thay ar led full hard and full yll

This tyde.

My parte haue I fun,
I know my lesson.
so wo is hym that is bun,
ffor he must abyde.

Bot now late in oure lyfys a meruell to me,

That I thynk my hart ryfys sich wonders to see ;

what that destany dryfys it shuld so be,
85 Som men wyll have two wyfys and som men thre
In store,

Som ar wo that has any,

Bot so far can I,

wo is hym that has many,
90 ffor he felys sore.

70 to clo ] omit MS

Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 191

Bot, yong men of wowyng, for god that you boght,
Be well war of wedyng and thynk in youre thoght,
u had I wyst " is a thyng [tha]t seruys of noght.
Mekyll styll mowrnyng has wedyng home broght,

And grefys, 9s

with many a sharp showre ;
ffor thou may each in an owre
that shall [savour] fulle sowre

As long as thou lyffys.

fTor, as euer red I pystyll, I haue oone to my fere, 100

As sharp as a thystyll, as rugh as a brere,

She is browyd lyke a brystyll with a sowre loten

chere ;
had She oones Wett Hyr Whystyll She couth Syng [39 b]

Hyr pater noster. [full clere

She is as greatt as a whall, xo5

She has a galon of gall :
By hym that dyed for vs all,

I wald I had ryn to I had lost hyr.

primus pastor :

God looke ouer the raw, ffull defly ye stand!
ijus pastor : yee, the dewill in thi maw so tariand. «o

sagh thou awro of daw?
primus pastor : yee, on a ley land

hard I hym blaw. he commys at hand
Not far,

Stand styll.
ijus pastor : qwhy ?

primus pastor : ffor he commys, hope I. «s

ijus pastor : he wyll make vs both a ly
Bot-if we be-war.

93 that ] it MS <fc E 98 savour ] illegible in MS

192 Towneley, Second Shepherds3 Play (IV)

Tercius pastor :

Crystys crosse me spede and sant nycholas !
Ther-of had I nede, it is wars then it was.
120 Whoso couthe, take hede and lett the warld pas,
It is euer in drede and brekyll as glas,

And slythys.

This warld fowre neuer so
With meruels mo and mo,
125 Now in weyll, now in wo,
And all thyng wry thy s.

Was neuer syn noe floode sich floodys seyn,

Wyndys and ranys so rude and stormes so keyn,
130 Som stamerd, som stod in dowte, as I weyn:

Now god turne all to good, I say as I mene,
ffor ponder.

These floodys so thay drowne,

Both in feyldys and in towne,

And berys all downe,
*3s And that is a wonder.

We that walk on the nyghtys oure catell to kepe,
We se sodan syghtys when othere men slepe.
yit me thynk my hart lyghtys, I se shrewys pepe :
ye ar two all wyghtys, I wyll gyff my shepe
i4o A turne.

Bot full yll haue I ment,
As I walk on this bent,
I may lyghtly repent,
My toes if I spurne.

•45 A ! sir, god you saue, and master myne !

A drynk fayn wold I haue and somwhat to dyne.

137 slepe ] MS had originally slepys, changed by later hand to

Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

primus pastor:

Crystys curs, my knaue, thou art a ledyr hyne!
ijus pastor : What ! the boy lyst raue ; abyde vnto syne,

We haue mayde it.

yll thryft on thy pate ! 150

Though the shrew cam late [40 a]

yit is he in state

To dyne, if he had it.

Tercius pastor :

Sich seruandys as I, that swettys and swynkys,
Etys oure brede full dry, and that me forthynkys. 155
We ar oft wey tt and wery when master-men wynkys,
yit commys full lately both dyners and drynkys.

Bot nately

Both oure dame and oure syre,

when we haue ryn in the myre, »6o

Thay can nyp at oure hyre

And pay vs full lately.

Bot here my trouth, master, for the fayr that ye
I shall do therafter wyrk as I take, [make,

I shall do a lytyll, sir, and [enough] euer lake, 165
ifor yit lay my soper neuer on my stomake

In feyldys.

Wherto shuld I threpe?
with my staf can I lepe,
And men say " lyght chepe 17°

letherly for-yeldys."

primus pastor : Thou were an yll lad to ryde on wowyng
With a man that had bot lytyll of spendyng.

ijus pastor : Peasse, boy, I bad no more langling,
Or I shall make the full rad, by the heuen's kyng, 175
with thy gawdys !

165 enough] emang MS E 190 sevyn] vij MS

N

194 Towneley, Second Shepherds1 Play (IV)

wher ar cure shepe, boy, we skorne?
iijus pastor : Sir, this same day at morne

I thaym left in the corne,
180 when thay rang lawdys;

Thay haue pasture good, thay can not go wrong.

primus pastor :

That is right, by the roode ! thyse nyghtys ar long,
yit I wold, or we yode, one gaf vs a song.

ijus pastor : So I thoght as I stode to myrth vs emong.
185 iijus pastor : I grauntt.

primus pastor : lett me syng the tenory.

ijus pastor : And I the tryble so hye.

iijus pastor : Then the meyne fallys to me,
lett se how you chauntt.

Tune intrat Mak, in clamidc se super togam vestitus.

19° Mak : Now, lord, for thy naymes sevyn, that made

both moyn and starnes,
Well mo then I can neuen, thi will, lorde, of me

tharnys ;
[40 b] I am all vneuen, that moves oft my harnes;

Now Wold god I were in heuen for the[re] wepe
So styll! [no barnes,

195 primus pastor: Who is that pypys so poore?
Mak : wold god ye wyst how I foore !
lo, a man that walkys on the moore,
And has not all his wyll!

secundus pastor:

Mak, where has thou go[n] ? tell vs tythyng.
Tercius pastor :
2°° Is he commen ? then ylkon take hede to his thyng.

& accepit clamidem ab ipso.
193 there] the MS 199 gon] gom MS

Towneley, Second Shepherds Play (IV) 195

Mak : what ! ich be a yoman, I tell you, of the king,
The self and the same, sond from a greatt lordyng,

And sich

ffy on you ! goyth hence

Out of my presence ! *>5

I must haue reuerence.

why, who be ich? .

primus pastor:

Why make ye it so qwaynt, mak? ye do wrang.
ijus pastor : Bot, mak, lyst ye saynt ? I trow that ye lang.
iijus pastor :
I trow the shrew can paynt, the dewyll myght hym «o

hang !

Mak: Ich shall make complaynt and make you all
At a worde, [tothwang,

And tell euyn how ye doth.
primus pastor: Bot, Mak, is that sothe?

Now take outt that sothren tothe, 2«s

And sett in a torde !

ijus pastor :

Mak, the dewill in youre ee, a stroke wold I leyne you.
iijus pastor :

Mak, know ye not me ? by god, I couthe teyn you.
Mak : God looke you all thre ! me thoght I had sene you,

ye ar a fare compane.

primus pastor : can ye now mene you ? 220

secundus pastor : Shrew, lape !

Thus late as thou goys,

what wyll men suppos?

And thou has an yll noys

of stelyng of shepe. «s

Mak: And I am trew as steyll, all men waytt,
Bot a sekenes I feyll that haldys me full haytt,

N2

196 Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

My belly farys not weyll, it is out of astate.
iijus pastor:

Seldom lyys the dewyll dede by the gate.
*3° Mak : Therfor

full sore am I and yll,
If I stande stone styll.
I ete not an nedyll

This moneth and more.

primus pastor :

235 how farys thi wyif? by my hoode, how farys sho?
Mak : lyys walteryng, by the roode, by the fyere, lo !
[41 a] And a howse full of brude, she drynkys well, to.
yll spede othere good that she wyll do !

Bot s[hjo
240 Etys as fast as she can,

. And ilk yere that commys to man
She bryngys furth a lakan,
And som yeres two.

Bot were I not more gracyus and rychere befar,
245 I where etyn outt of howse and of harbar;
Yit she is a fowl dowse, if ye com nar ;
Ther is none that trowse nor knowys a war

Then ken I.

Now wyll ye se what I profer,
250 To gyf all in my cofer
To morne at next to offer
hyr hed mas penny.

Secundus pastor :

I wote so forwakyd is none in this shyre,
I wold slepe if I takyd les to my hyere.
iijus pastor : I am cold and nakyd and wold haue a fyere.
255 primus pastor : I am wery , for-rakyd, and run in the
wake thou ! [myre.

239 sho ] so MS E

Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 197

ijus pastor : Nay, I wyll lyg downe by,

ffor I must slepe truly.

iijus pastor : As good a man's son was I =6«

As any of you.

Bot, mak, com heder ! betwene shall thou lyg downe.
Mak :

Then myght I lett you bedene of that ye wold rowne.

No drede,

ffro my top to my too, a6S

Manus tuas commendo,
poncio pilato,

Cryst crosse me spede !

Tune surjr/t, pastoribus dor mienl thus, & dicit :

Now were tyme for a man that lakkys what he wold
To stalk preuely than vnto a fold, 27o

And neemly to wyrk than, and be not to bold,
ffor he might aby the bargan if it were told

At the endyng.

Now were tyme for to reyll, 275

Bot he nedys good counsel),
That fayn wold fare weyll,

And has bot lytyll spendyng.

Bot abowte you a serkyll as rownde as a moyn,
To I haue done that I wyll, tyll that it be noyn,
That ye lyg stone styll to that I haue doyne. 280
And I shall say thertyll of good wordys a foyne.

On hight

Ouer youre hedys my hand I lyft,
Out go youre een, fordo your syght,
Bot yit I must make better shyft,

And it be right.

lord ! what thay slepe hard ! that may ye all here,
was I neuer a shepard bot now wyll I lere.

198 Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

If the flok be skard yit shall I nyp nere,
290 how ! drawes hederward ! now mendys oure chere
ffrofm] sorow,

A fatt shepe I dar say,

A good flese dar I lay,

Eft whyte when I may,
295 Bot this will I borow. [Exit Mak.j

[Scene 2]

[Male] : how, gyll, art thou In ? gett vs som lyght.
Vxor eius : Who makys sich dyn this tyme of the nyght ?
I am sett for to spyn, I hope not I myght
Ryse a penny to wyn, I shrew them on hight !
300 So farys

A huswyff that has bene
To be rasyd thus betwene,
here may no note be sene
ffor sich small charys.

305 Mak : Good wyff, open the hek ! seys thou not what

I bryng?
Vxor : I may thole the dray the snek. A ! com in,

my swetyng

Mak : yee, thou thar not rek of my long standyng.
Vxor : By the nakyd nek art thou lyke for to hyng.
Mak : Do way,
310 I am worthy my mete,
ffor in a strate can I gett
More then thay that swynke and swette
All the long day.

Thus it fell to my lott, gyll, I had sich grace.
3x5 Vxor : It were a fowll blott to be hangyd for the case.

291 ffrom ] ffron MS after 295, Exit Mak. ] omit MS, Mak

goes home E

Towmley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 199

Mak: I haue skapyd, lelott, oft as hard a glase.
Vxor : Bot so long goys the pott to the water, men says,

At last

Comys it home broken.
Mak: well knowe I the token,
Bot let it neuer be spoken;
Bot com and help fast.

I wold he were slayn, I lyst well ete, [mete.

This twelmo[n]the was I not so fayn of oone shepe
Vxor : Com thay or he be slayn and here the shepe blete ! 3*5
Mak : Then myght I be tane, that were a cold swette !

Go spar [42 a]

The gaytt doore.
Vxor: Yis, Mak.

ifor and thay com at thy bak, —
Mak : Then myght I by, for all the pak,
The dewill of the war.

Vxor : A good bowrde haue I spied, syn thou can none :

here shall we hym hyde, to thay be gone,

In my credyll, abyde! lett me alone!

And I shall lyg besyde in chyldbed and grone. 335
Mak: Thou red,

And I shall say thou was lyght

Of a knaue childe this nyght.
Vxor: Now well is me day bright

That euer was I bred! 340

This is a good gyse and a far cast,
Yit a woman avyse helpys at the last.
I wote neuer who spyse, agane go thou fast.
Mak : Bot I com or thay ryse els blawes a cold blast !

[Rediet Mak ad pastores.J

324 twelmonthe ] twelmothe MS E 334 abyde ] to abyde K
after 344, Rediet Mak. &c. ] omit MS, Mak returns to the Shepherds
and resumes his place E

200 Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

[Scene 3]

345 [Male] : I wyll go slepe.

yit slepys all this meneye,
And I shall go stalk preuely,
As it had neuer bene I
That caryed thare shepe.

primus pastor :

350 Resurrex a mortruis ! haue hald my hand !
ludas carnas dominus ! I may not well stand.
My foytt slepys, by ihesus ! and I water fastand.
I thoght that we layd vs full nere yngland.
Secundus pastor : A! ye!
355 lord! what I haue slept weyll!
As fresh as an eyll,
As lyght I my feyll
As leyfe on a tre !

Tercius pastor :

Benste be here in ! so my [hart] qwakys,
36o My hart is outt of skyn, what so it makys.

Who makys all this dyn? so my browes blakys,
To the dowore wyll I wyn. harke, felows, wakys !

We were fowre,
se ye awre of mak now?
365 primus pastor : we were vp or thou.
ijus pastor: Man, I gyf god a vowe
yit yede he nawre.

iijus pastor : Me thoght he was lapt in a wolfe skyn.
primus pastor : So are many hapt now namely within.
ijus pastor :

37o When we had long napt me thoght with a gyn
[42 b] A fatt shepe he trapt, bot he made no dyn.
Tercius pastor: Be styll,

355 ihesus J ifec. MS 359 hart] so E, illegible in MS

Towneley, Second Shepherds1 Play (IV) 201

Thi dreme makys the woode,
It is hot fantom, by the roode !

primus pastor : Now god turn all to good, 375

If it be his wyll.

ijus pastor :

Ryse, mak, for shame ! thou lygys right lang.
Mak : Now crystys holy name be vs emang !

what is this? for sant lame, I may not well gang!

I trow I be the same. A ! my nek has lygen wrang 380
Enoghe.

Mekill thank ! syn yister euen,

Now, by sant stevyn,

I was flayd with a swevyn,
My hart out of sloghe.

I thoght gyll began to crok and trauell full sad,
welner at the fyrst cok, of a yong lad
ffor to mend oure flok, then be I neuer glad;
I haue tow on my rok more then euer I had.

A, my heede! 390

A house full of yong tharmes !
The dewill knok outt thare harnes !
wo is hym has many barnes

And therto lytyll brede!

I must go home, by your lefe, to gyll as I thoght, 395

I pray you looke my slefe, that I steyll noght;

I am loth you to grefe, or from you take oght.
iijus pastor : Gofurth, yll myght thou chefe ! now wold
This morne [I we soght

That we had all oure store. 4<x>

primus pastor : Bot I will go before,

let vs mete.
ijus pastor: whore?
iijus pastor : At the crokyd thorne.

383 stevyn ] strevyn MS E

202 Towneley. Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

[Scene 4]
Mak :

Vndo this doore ! who is here ? how long shall I stand ?
Vxor eius:

405 Who makys sich a bere ? now walk in the Wenyand.
Mak : A, gyll, what chere ? it is I, mak, youre husbande.
Vxor: Then may we be here the dewill in a bande,

Syr gyle,

lo, he commys with a lote
410 As he were holden in the throte.
I may not syt at my note
A hand-lang while.

Mak : wyll ye here what fare she makys to gett hir a glose ?

and dos noght bot lakys, and clowse hir toose.
415 Vxor : why, who wanders ? who wakys ? who commys ?

who gose?
who brewys ? who bakys ? what makys me thus hose ?

And than

It is rewthe to beholde,
Now in hote, now in colde,
420 ffull wofull is the householde
That wantys a woman.

[43 a] Bot what ende has thou mayde with the hyrdys, mak ?
Mak: The last worde that thay sayde when I turnyd

my bak,
Thay wold looke that thay hade thare shepe all

the pak.
425 I hope thay wyll nott be well payde when thay

thare shepe lak,
Perde !

Bot how so the gam gose,
To me thay wyll suppose,
And make a fowll noyse,
43o And cry outt apon me.

Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 203

Bot thou must do as thou hyght.
Vxor : I accorde me thertyll.

I shall swedyll hym right In my credyll,

If it were a gretter slyght yit couthe I help tyll.

I wyll lyg downe stright, com hap me.
Mak: I wyll.

Vxor : . Behynde. 435

Com coll and his maroo,

Thay will nyp vs full naroo.

Mak: Bot I may cry out ;haroo,'

The shepe if thay fynde.

Vxor : harken ay when thay call, thay will com onone. 440
Com and make redy all and syng by thyn oone;
Syng lullay thou shall, for I must grone
And cry outt by the wall on mary and lohn.

ffor sore.

Syng lullay on fast «*

when thou heris at the last,
And bot I play a fals cast

Trust me no more.

[Scene 5]

Tercius pastor :

A, coll, goode morne, why slepys thou nott?
primus pastor :

Alas, that euer was I borne ! we haue a fowll blott, 450

A fat wedir haue we lorne.

Tercius pastor : mary, godys forbott !

ijus pastor :

who shuld do vs that skorne ? that were a fowll spott.
primus pastor : Som shrewe.

I haue soght with my dogys 455

All horbery shrogys,

204 Towneley, Second Shepherds1 Play (IV)

And of fefteyn hogys
ffond I bot oone ewe.

iijus pastor :

Now trow me, if ye will, by sant thomas of kent,
Ayther mak or gyll was at that assent.
primus pastor :

460 peasse, man, be still ! I sagh when he went,
Thou sklanders hym yll, thou aght to repent

Goode spede.
ijus pastor: Now as euer myght I the,

If I shuld euyn here de,
465 I wold say it were he

That dyd that same dede.

•iijus pastor :

Go we theder, I rede, and ryn on oure feete.
Shall I neuer ete brede the sothe to I w[ee]te.
primus pastor:

Nor drynk in my heede with hym tyll I mete.
Secundus pastor :

[43b] I wyll rest in no stede tyll that I hym grete,
471 My broth ere.

Oone I will hight:
Tyll I se hym in sight
shall I neuer slepe one nyght
475 Ther I do anothere.

[Scene 6]

Tercius pastor :

will ye here how thay hak ? oure syre, lyst, croyne.
primus pastor :

hard I neuer none crak so clere out of toyne.

457 fefteyn] xv. MS 468 weete] wytt MS E

Towmley, Second Shepherds Play (IV) 205

Call on hym.

ijus pastor : mak ! vndo youre doore soyne !
Mak: Who is that spak, as it were noyne,

On loft? 480

Who is that I say?

iijus pastor : Goode felowse, were it day.
Mak: As far as ye may,
Good, spekys soft

Ouer a seke womans hede, that is at mayll easse ; 485

I had leuer be dede or she had any dyseasse.
Vxor :

Go to an othere stede, I may not well qweasse.

Ich fote that ye trede goys thorow my nese

So hee.
primus pastor : Tell vs, mak, if ye may, 49°

how fare ye, I say?
Mak: Bot ar ye in this towne to day?
Now how fare ye?

ye haue ryn in the myre, and ar weytt yit;

I shall make you a fyre if ye will syt. 495

A nores wold I hyre, my dreme this is itt,

A seson.

I haue barnes, if ye knewe,

well mo then enewe ; 500

Bot we must drynk as we brew,

And that is bot reson.

I wold ye dynyd or ye yode, me thynk that ye swet^te.
Secundus pastor :

Nay, nawther mendys oure mode drynke nor mette.
Mak: why, sir, alys you oght bot goode?
Tercius pastor : yee, oure shepe that we gett 505

Ar stollyn as thay yode,— oure los is grette.
Mak: Syrs, drynkys!

206 Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

had I bene thore

Som shuld haue boght it full sore.
5*° primus pastor : Mary, som men trowes that ye wore,
And that vs forthynkys.

ijus pastor :

Mak, som men trowys that it shuld be ye.
iijus pastor : Ayther ye or youre spouse, so say we.
Mak: Now if ye haue suspowse to gill or to me,
515 Com and rype oure howse, and then may ye se

who had hir,
If I any shepe fott,
Ay thor cow or stott ; .
And gyll, rny wyfe, rose nott
here syn she lade hir.

[44 a] As I am true and lele to god here I pray

That this be the fyrst mele that I shall ete this day.
primus pastor : Mak, as haue I ceyll, Avyse the, I say ;
he lernyd tymely to steyll that couth not say nay.
525 Vxor : I swelt !

Outt, thefys, fro my wonys !
ye com to rob vs, for the nonys.
Mak : here ye not how she gronys ?
youre hartys shuld melt.

53° Vxor : Outt, thefys, fro my barne ! negh hym not thor !
Mak : wyst ye how she had fame youre hartys wold

be sore.

ye do wrang, I you warne. that thus commys before
1? o a woman that has fame,— bot I say no more.
Vxor : A, my medyll !
535 I pray to god so mylde,
If euer I you begyld
That I ete this chylde

That lygys in this credyll.

Towneley, Second Shepherds1 Play (IV) 207

Mak : peasse, woman, for goddys payn, and cry not so !

Thou spyllys thy brane and makys me full wo. 540
Secundus pastor:

I trow oure shepe be slayn, what fynde ye two?
iijus pastor : All wyrk we in vayn, as well may we go.
Bot hatters!

I can fynde no flesh,

hard nor nesh, 545

Salt nor fresh,
Bot two tome platers.

Whik catell bot this, tame nor wylde,

None, as haue I blys, as lowde as he smylde.
Vxor : No, so god me blys, and gyf me loy of my 550

chylde !

primus pastor : We haue merkyd amys, I hold vs begyld.
ijus pastor : Syr, don !

Syr, oure lady hym saue !

Is youre chyld a knaue?

Mak: Any lord myght hym haue sss

This chyld to his son.

when he wakyns he kyppys that ioy is to se.
iijus pastor : In good tyme to hys hyppys, and in cele.

Bot who was his gossyppys, so sone rede?
Mak: So fare fall thare lyppys!

primus pastor : hark now, a le ! 56o

Mak: So god thaym thank, .

Parky n, and gybon waller, I say, [44 bj

And gentill lohn home, in good fay,

he made all the garray

With the greatt shank. 565

ijus pastor:

Mak, freyndys will we be, ffor we ar all oone.
Mak : we ! now I hald for me, for mendys gett I none !

ffare well all thre, all glad were ye gone

208 Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

iijus pastor :

ffare wordys may ther be, bot luf is ther none
570 this yere.

primus pastor : Gaf ye the chyld any thyng ?
ijus pastor : I trow not oone farthyng !
iijus pastor : ffast agane will I flyng,
Abyde ye me there.

575 Mak, take it to no grefe if I com to thi barne.
Mak : Nay, thou dos me greatt reprefe and fowll has

thou fame.
iijus pastor :

The child will it not grefe, that lytyll day starne.
Mak, with youre leyfe let me gyf youre barne

Bot sex pence.

580 Mak : Nay, do way, he slepys.
iijus pastor : me thynk he pepys.
Mak : when he wakyns he wepys.
I pray you go hense.

iijus pastor:

Gyf me lefe hym to kys and lyft vp the clowtt.

[He sees the sheep. J

585 what the dewill is this? he has a long snowte.
primus pastor : he is merkyd amys, we wate ill abowte.
ijus pastor : Ill-spon weft, Iwys, ay commys foull owte.

Ay, so !

he is lyke to oure shepe!
59o iijus pastor : how, gyb, may I pepe ?
primus pastor : I trow kynde will crepe
where it may not go.

ijus pastor : This was a qwantt gawde and a far cast.
It was a hee frawde.

after 584, stage-direction ] omit MS

Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 209

iijus pastor : yee, syrs, wast,

lett bren this bawde and bynd hir fast.
A fals skawde hang at the last,

So shall thou.

wyll ye se how thay swedyll
his foure feytt in the medyll?
Sagh I neuer in a credyll 6<x>

a hornyd lad or now.

Mak: Peasse byd I! what! lett be youre fare! [45 a]

I am he that hym gatt and yond woman hym bare.
primus pastor :

What dewill shall he hatt, Mak ? lo, god ! makys ayre !
ijus pastor : lett be all that, now god gyf hym care 6o5

I sagh.
Vxor: A pratty child is he

As syttys on a wamans kne,

A dyllydowne, perde,

To gar a man laghe. 6i°

iijus pastor:

I know hym by the eere-marke, that is a good tokyn.
Mak : I tell you, syrs, hark ! hys noyse was brokyn.

Sythen told me a clerk that he was forspokyn.
primus pastor:

This is a fals wark, I wold fayn be wrokyn;

Gett wepyn. «»5

Vxor: he was takyn with an elfe,

I saw it myself;

when the clok stroke twelf
was he forshapyn.

ijus pastor : ye two ar well feft sam in a stede.
iijus pastor :

Syn thay manteyn thare theft, let do thaym to dede.

O

210 Towneley, Second Shepherds Play (IV)

Mak : If I trespas eft, gyrd of my hede,

with you will I be left.
primus pastor : syrs, do my rede :

if or this trespas

625 we will nawther ban ne flyte,
ffyght nor chyte,
Bot haue done as tyte.
And cast hym in canvas.

[They toss Mak in a sheet.]

lord ! what I am sore in poynte for to bryst.
63° In fayth I may no more, therfor wyll I ryst.
ijus pastor:

As a shepe of sevyn skore he weyd in my fyst.
ffor to slepe ay-whore me thynk that I lyst.

[Scene 7]

iijus pastor: Now I pray you

lyg downe on this grene.
635 primus pastor: On these thefys yit I mene.
iijus pastor: wherto shuld ye tene
So, as I say you?

Angelus cantat " gloria in excelsis" postea dicat :

Angelus : Ryse, hyrd men heynd ! for now is he borne
That shall take fro the feynd that adam had lorne,
640 That warloo to sheynd this nyght is he borne.
God is made youre freynd now at this morne.

he behestys
At bedlem go se.
Ther lygys that fre
645 In a cryb full poorely,
Betwyx two bestys.

after 628 stage-direction ] so E, omit MS 631 sevyii ] vij MS

Townelcy, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 211

primus pastor : [45 b]

This was a qwant stevyn that euer yit I hard.

It is a meruell to neuyn thus to be skard.
ijus pastor : Of godys son of heuyn he spak vpward.

All the wod on a leuyn me thoght that he gard 6SO

Appere.
iijus pastor : he spake of a barne

In bedlem, I you warne.
primus pastor : That betokyns yond starne ;
let vs seke hym there.

ijus pastor :

Say , what was his song ? hard ye not how he crakyd it,

Thre brefes to a long?
iijus pastor: yee, mary, he hakt it.

was no crochett wrong nor no thyng that lakt it.
primus pastor :

ffor to syng vs emong right as he knakt it

I can. 660

ijus pastor: let se how ye croyne.

Can ye bark at the mone?
iijus pastor : hold youre tonges, haue done !
primus pastor : hark after, than !

ijus pastor : To bedlem he bad that we shuld gang, 66S

I am full fard that we tary to lang.
iijus pastor :

Be mery and not sad, of myrth is oure sang,

Euer lastyng glad to mede may we fang,

Withoutt noyse. 670

primus pastor : hy we theder for-thy.

If we be wete and wery,

To that chyld and that lady
we haue it not to lose.

647 a qwant] the qwantst K 647 b] originally confused

with 649 £, but corrected in MS 661 crone ] croyne MS, E

suggests this emendation.

O2

212 Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

ijus pastor :

we fynde by the prophecy— let be youre dyn —
675 Of dauid and Isay and mo then I myn,

Thay prophecyed by clergy that in a vyrgyn
shuld he lyght and ly, to slokyn oure syn

And slake it.
Oure kynde from wo,
680 ifor Isay sayd so;
[Ecce] virgo

Concipiet a chylde that is nakyd.

iij pastor: ffull glad may we be, and abyde that day,

That lufly to se, that all myghtys may.
68S lord, well were me for ones and for aye

Myght I knele on my kne som word for to say

To that chylde.
Bot the angell sayd
In a cryb wos he layde,
690 he was poorly arayd

Both mener and mylde.

primus pastor :

patryarkes that has bene and prophetys beforne,
Thay desyryd to haue sene this chylde that is borne.
Thay ar gone full clene ; that haue thay lorne.
[46 a] We shall se hym, I weyn, or it be morne,
696 To tokyn.

When I se hym and fele,
Then wote I full weyll
It is true as steyll,
700 That prophetys haue spokyn

To so poore as we ar, that he wold appere,
ffyrst fynd, and declare by his messyngere.

679 from] to kepe from K 681 Ecce] Cite MS

Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV) 213

I/MS pastor : Go we now, let vs fare, the place is vs nere.
///MS pastor : I am redy and yare, go we in fere

To that bright. ?°s

Lord, if thi wylles be,
we ar lewde all thre,
Thou grauntt vs somkyns gle
To comforth thi wight.

[Scene 8]
primus pastor :

hayll, comly and clene ! hayll, yong child ! 7*0

hayll, maker, as I meyne, of a madyn so mylde !
Thou has waryd, I weyne, the warlo so wylde ;
The fals gyler of teyn now goys he begylde.

lo, he merys !

lo, he laghys, my swetyng! 715

A welfare metyng,
I haue holden my hetyng;

haue a bob of cherys.

ijus pastor :

hayll, sufferan sauyoure ! ffor thou has vs soght,
hayll, frely foyde and floure, that all thyng has 720

wroght !

hayll full of fauoure, that made all of noght !
hayll ! 1 kneyll and I cowre. A byrd haue I broght

To my barne.
hayll, lytyll tyne mop !

of oure crede thou art crop. 725

I wold drynk on thy cop,

Lytyll day starne.

iijus pastor : hayll, derlyng dere, full of godhede !
I pray the be nere when that I haue nede.

711 maker] maker born K

214 Towneley, Second Shepherds' Play (IV)

730 hayll, swete is thy chere ! my hart wold blede
To se the sytt here in so poore wede,

With no pennys.
hayll! put forth thy dall!
I bryng the bot a ball,
735 haue and play the with all,
And go to the tenys.

Maria: The fader of heuen, god omnypotent,
That sett all on seuen, his son has he sent.
My name couth he neuen *and lyght or he went.
74o I conceyuyd hym full euen «, tfirugh myght as he

ment,

And now is he borne.
he kepe you fro wo^I
I shall pray hym soji
Tell furth as ye go, \

745 And myn on this morne. *

'• •

primus pastor: ffarewell, lady, so"* fare/ to beholde,

with thy childe on thi kne ! ^ *
ijm pastor : \#i he Jygys full cold.

lord, well is me ; now we go, thou behold.
iijus pastor : ttor sothe all redy r it s^pys to be told

750 full Oft. I

primus pastor : what grace we haue fur?!
ijus pastor : Com furth, now ar we won !
iijus pastor : To syng ar we bun,
let take on loft.

Explicit pagina Pastorum.

'NOTES

\
ft

CHESTER NATIVITY (I)

In the Banes before the Chester Plays, in MS. H, there is
the following stanza (15) on this play :

of Octavion the Em per our that could not well Alowe

the prophesye of Auncient Sibell, the sage,

you wrightes and sklaters, with good players in showe,

lustlye bringe forth your well-decked carriage;

the beirth of Christe shall all see in that stage.

yf the scriptures a-warrant not of the mydwyfys reporte,

the Authour telleth his Authour, then take it in sporte !

1—112. This play of the Annunciation and Visitation fol
lows very closely the Scriptural account in Luke 1 : see
notes following. The only extant liturgical play of the
Annunciation follows Luke quite as closely, so that it is im
possible to be sure whether this is a translation from Luke
or from a liturgical drama (see, however, Introduction, p. xiii).

1—4. Translation of Pseudo-Matt. 9 : 'Ave Maria! gratia
plena ! Dominus tecum ! Benedicta tu in mulieribus et
benedictus fructus ventris tui ! ' This is a combination of
Luke 1.28 and 42, the salutations of Gabriel and Elizabeth.
The Church has followed this version in the canticle Ave
Maria. See Introduction, p. xiii, and note on C. Ill, 165—169.

4. MS. H, in the margin, inserts the parallel Scriptural
account from Luke: 'In mense autem sexto missus est an-
gelus Gabriel a Deo in civitatem Galilaeae. Lucae I.' Here
after such readings will be designated by (H).

8. 'Ilia vero cum vidisset turbata est super oracionem
eius, et cogitabat, qualis esset ilia salutatio.' (H). Luke 1. 29.

this. Evidently an error, misspelling of thus.

9—16. * Et ait angelus ei : Ne timeas, Maria, invenisti enim
gratiam apud Deum ; ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium,
et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum. Hie erit magnus et Filius
Altissimi vocabitur.' Luke 1. 30—32, not quoted in H.

16. gode. This form is used for the genitive, God's,
throughout this play in MS. D. See kinge, Ch. II, 479, and
cf. Fader T. I, 102.

20. ' Et dabit illi Dominus Deus sedem David patris eius ;
et regnabit in domo Jacob in eternum.' (H). Luke 1. 32.

218 Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

24. ' Et regni ejus non erit finis.' (H). Luke 1. 33. Cf.
Pseudo-Matt. 9 : ' qui imperet non solum in terra sed et in
caelis, et regnabit in saecula saeculorum.' Cf. also De Nat.
Mar. 9 : ' Hie erit magnus, quia dominabitur a mari usque acl
mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos orbis terrae.'

26. ' Dixit Maria ad Angelum : Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam
virum non cognosce?' (H). Luke 1.34.

32. 'Et respondens Angelus dixit ei: Spiritus Sanctus
superveniet in te ; et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi ; ideo-
que et quod nascetur ex te Sanctum, vocabitur Filius Dei.'
(H). Luke 1. 35.

36. 'Elizabeth, cognata tua, et ipsa concepit filium in
senectute sua.' (H). Luke 1. 36.

40. ' Et hie mensis sextus est illi quae vocatur sterilis ; quia
non erit impossibile apud Deum omne verbum.' (H). Luke 1.
36-37.

48. ' Dixit Maria : Ecce ancilla Domini ! fiat mihi secundum
verbum tuum.' (H). Luke 1. 38.

after 48, stage-direction. 'Et discessit ab ilia Angelus.
Exsurgens autem Maria . . . abiit in montana . . . et intravit
in domum . . . et salutavit Elizabeth.' Luke 1. 38-40. Cf.
Protev. 12 :' And Mary was glad, and went unto her cousin
Elizabeth.' The other Apocryphal Gospels do not mention
the Visitation.

49. 'Audivit salutationem Mariae Elizabeth.' Luke 1.41.
In Protev. Mary simply knocks at the door.

52. ' Benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ven-
tris tui.' (H). Luke 1. 42. Cf. note on 11. 1-4.

56. ' Unde hoc mihi, ut veniat mater Domini mei ad me ? '
(H). Luke 1. 43.

60. ' Ecce enim, ut facta est vox salutacionis tuae in auri-
bus meis, exultavit prae gaudio infans in utero meo.' (H).
Luke 1. 44.

61—64. * Et beata quae credidisti, quoniam perficientur ea,
quae dicta sunt tibi a Domino.' Luke 1. 45.

69-70. Luke 1. 46.

before 73. This is the only one of the Scriptural parallels
that appears in D.

Notes, Chester Nativity (I) 219

76. * Et respexit ad humilitatem Ancillae suae.' (H). Luke
1.48.

78. 'Et sanctum nomen eius.' (H). Luke 1.49.

84. ' Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicant omnes gene-
rationes, Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est.' (H). Luke 1.
48-49.

89-92. 'Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies
timentibus eum.' Luke 1. 50. ^

96. ' prestitit robor per brachium suum, dispersit supferbos
cogitatione cordis ipsorum.' (H). Luke 1. 51.

100. 'Detraxit potentes de sedibus et erexit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis.' (H). Luke 1. 52-53.

104. ' Et divites dimisit inanes. Suscepit Israeli puerum
suum, 'lit memor esset misericordiae.' (H). Luke 1. 53—54.

108. ' Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et
semen eius in eterno : Gloria patri et filio et spiritui sancto.'
(H). Luke 1. 55.

112. ' Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in secula
seculorum, Amen.' (H). Here the author has been following
the Church version of the Magnificat instead of that found in
the Gospel of Luke ; it is therefore possible that this has all
come from some liturgical drama. See note on 11. 1-112.

113-122. This passage has no parallel in the Bible or
Apocryphal Gospels. It is merely inserted as a link be
tween the Visitation and Joseph's Trouble. In C. and T. the
Joseph play conies before the Visitation. The author shows
a sense of form, if he is following Luke, in not going on to
describe the birth of the Baptist.

116. ' Mansit autem Maria cum ilia circiter mensibus tribus,
et reversa est in domum suum.' (H). Luke 1. 56. The first
part of the .verse does not seem to apply here.

123-176. The only reference in the Bible to Joseph's
trouble is in Matt. 1. 18-20: * Cum esset desponsata mater ejus
Maria Joseph, antequam convenirent, inventa est in utero
habens de Spiritu Sancto. Joseph autem, vir ejus, cum esset
Justus et nollet earn traducere, voluit occulte dimittere earn.
Haec autem eo cogitante, ecce ! Angelus Domini apparuit, &c.'
The author of the Chester plays seems to have followed

220 Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

this account alone, expanding it considerably, but not using
the more elaborate Apocryphal accounts which form the basis
of the Coventry, York, and Towneley Joseph plays. These
introduce the virgin companions of Mary, and a long dis
pute between Mary and Joseph and the maidens concerning
the paternity of the child. We do find, however, in this play
reminiscences of the Apocryphal account of the marriage
of Joseph and Mary, in those lines where Joseph urges
the unsuitability of an old man's marrying a maiden. In
Protev. 9 Joseph says : ' Let us not become ridiculous to the
children of Israel. I have sons, and am old ; she is but a
girl.' All the rest, however, is merely the expansion of the
idea of Joseph's just nature, as we find it in Matt. 1. Cf.
C. II, 25 if., and note ; Y. II, 92 if.

128. H quotes Matt. 1. 18; see note on 11. 123-176.

129. The author again follows the Scriptural instead of
the Apocryphal account; cf. note on 1. 116. Pseudo-Matt. 10 :
' ubi moratus est [i. e. Joseph in Capernaum] mensibus novem.'
Protev. 13 : 'And her sixth month came and Joseph returned.'

132. H, without any reason, inserts here Matt. 1. 19, first
part.

136. H inserts Matt 1. 19, last part.

145—152. A common theme in Y. and T.

152. H quotes Matt. 1. 20; see note on 11. 123-176.

164. 'Joseph, fili dauid, ne metuas adjungere Mariam
uxorem tuam ; nam quod in ilia conceptus est.' (H). Matt. 1, 20.

168. 'a spiritu sancto profectum est.' (H). Matt. 1. 20. The
reference to the fulfillment of prophecy is evidence that the
Scriptural and not the Apocryphal account is the basis of this
play, for in Matthew the angel says that Christ shall be born to
fulfill prophecy, and the Apocryphal Gospels, which follow
Matt. 1. closely up to this point, make no mention of prophecies.

178—179. The popular mediaeval legends of Octavian and
the Sibyl are fully discussed in Piper, Mythologie der Christ-
lichen Kunst, 1. 472-507. In their earliest form the Sibyl was
priestess of Apollo. The earliest extant version is by Malalas
(7th cent.), to be found in Migne, Pair. Gr. 97. 357 (see note
on 11. 348 if.). Next in order chronologically is Suidas (fl. 950),

Notes, Chester Nativity (I) 221

who discusses it in his Lexicon under the title Augustus-,
then comes a version by Cedrenus (circ. 1100): Migne. Pair.
Gr. 121. 357; and finally a version by Nicephorus Callistus
(circ. 1350): Migne, Pair. Gr. 145. 681. See following notes.

185 ff. This boastful speech of Octavian's is merely one
of the popular " Herod speeches " put into his mouth. It would
be profitless to record the many parallels ; I refer the reader
to the following plays: Ch. 8, 157-204; 10, 1-20; C. 17,
1-16; Y. 16, 1-22; T. 14, 1-48.

188. * Lucae Cap. 2. Exit dictum e Cesare Augusto ut cen-
seretur totus orbis' (H).

199 f. Cf. Ch. 10, (Innocents Play) 5-6:

Herode: Say no man any thing is his,
but onely at my device.

201-208. Cf. note on 11. 304-375 ; Martinus : ' tantse prosperi-
tatis et pacis quod totum mundum sibi tributarium fecerat.'

209—224. This speech in Old French is introduced to give
local color, French being still the language of the English
court ; see Introduction, p. xxvi. The many scribes, through
whose hands the text has passed in the 250 years between
its composition and the earliest extant manuscript, have left
little that is intelligible. Professor Henry R. Lang of Yale
University has kindly verified my belief that in general the
text is so corrupt as to defy interpretation. The first stanza
is the only one that is really intelligible, although the general
meaning of the others may be grasped. Octavian begins by
saying: 'Lords, all assembled, from my own estates, I can
cause you to be tearful or joyful, and put you in grief.'
Notice that the last line is in Italian, because a rime for Em-
peroure is necessary. He then apparently goes on to warn
them not to oppose him in any way, for he is a powerful,
rich, and wise emperor, and there is none like unto him.

For other speeches in French, all by kings and governors,
see Ch. 8, 65-72, 145-152 ; 16 (p. 39 of Pt. 2. in Wright's
edition), and 19 (2. 84).

225-247. These lines are largely a repetition of Octavian's
opening speech.

222 Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

229. Cf. T. 9 (Ccesar Augustus), 1-3.

Be styll, beshers ; I commawnd yow
That no man speke a word here now
But 1 myself alon.

232 if. Cf. T. 9, 13 ff.

ifor all is myn that up standys,
Castels, towers, townys, and landys;
To me homage thay bringe.

232-239. Cf. 11. 189-196.

240-245. Cf. 11. 201-208.

252 if. Cf. note to 158. These ' Herodian ' speeches are
entirely opposed to Augustus ' traditionally modest character,
which rather inconsistently appears a little later in the play.

258-261. The common belief in the Middle Ages that
Jerusalem was at the middle of the world, 'the mediaeval
Greenwich,' is based on Ezek. 5. 5 : ' Thus saith the Lord God :
This is Jerusalem. I have set it in the midst of the nations.'
The idea is familiar to Dante, who places the mountain of
Purgatory at the antipodes of Jerusalem. Cf. Dante, Purg.
2. 1-6; Inf. 34. 116.

281. The 'boy' swears by Mohammed some 600 years
before that prophet was born. 'After the wars with the
Saracens.' says Wright, 'this became a common name in
W. Europe for any idol or false god.' It is a favorite oath
of Herod's in all the cycles.

286. I have emended Boughton to read Broughton, as the
latter was a suburb of Chester, according to Magna Britannia,
Antiqua et Nova, London, 1720. I do not feel sure, however,
that this emendation should stand, for there is an old Lanca
shire proverb about Oldham rough-heads, Boughton trotters,
and Heywood monkeys. Heywood and Oldham are near
together in S. E. Lancashire, but Boughton I have been un
able to discover. The fact that the author of Ch. II shows
himself familiar with Lancashire (see notes on Ch. II, 117 and
120) adds weight to the theory that a Lancashire town is
referred to.

304-375. This legend is taken from Martinus Polonus, a
Dominican of the 13th century, also quoted by Higden in

Notes, Chester Nativity (I) 223

the Polychronicon as his authority for the same tale. The
fact that Martinus is quoted by at least a contemporary of
the author of our play, and that his version is the closest
to ours of all the many mediaeval versions, is very strong
evidence as to our source. Martinus writes in his Suppu-
tationes under De Octaviano Imperatore : ' Hunc populi Romani
videntes esse tantae pulchritudinis quod nemo in oculis eius
intueri poterat, et tantae prosperitatis et pacis quod totum
mundum sibi tributarium fecerat, dicebant ei: Te volumus
adorare, quia Deus est in te ; si hie non esset, non tibi omnia
tarn prospere succederent. Quia renuens, inducias postula-
vit, et ad se Sibyllam Tiburtinam sapientem vocavit: cui
quod Senatores sibi dixerant, recitavit. Quae spatium trium
dierum petiit in quibus arctum ieiunium operata est. Post
tertium diem respondit Imperatori hoc modo :

ludicii signum tellus sudore madescet.

E coelo Rex adveniet qui per secula fiiturus est

et cetera quae sequuntur.' For the rest of Martinus' account
see note on Ch. I, 646-701. The lapse of three days does
not occur in the play, but there is an intermission in the
Octavian story from 1. 375-1. 646, where the play again
follows Martinus.

Martinus seems to draw his material, sometimes verbatim,
from the Mirabilia Romce (ed. Parthey, § 37), written in the
12th century. This also contains an account similar to that in
11. 575-620 ; see note.

313. In the Old French Mistere du Viel Testament, ed.
Socie'te des Amiens Textes Fran$aist vol. 6, pp. 180 if. (abbre
viated hereafter as V. T.) in discussing affairs of state, the
Provost suggests to Augustus that a statue of him should
l)e erected in Rome, to be worshiped. Augustus offers no
objection. After the statue is made, however, he consults
with the Sibyl as to whether it should be worshiped.

330—331. As a matter of fact, Augustus was at this time
63 years old.

340. In the early versions Octavian does not ask the
oracle if he shall be deified (cf. note on 11. 348 ff.). This

224 Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

was a later interpretation of the story, due probably to the
confusion among churchmen of the terms dominus and deus.
The ultimate source of the legend is doubtless in the pro
hibition issued by Augustus against applying to him the title
dominum ; cf. Suetonius, Divus Augustus, § 53 : ' Domini appel-
lationem ut maledictum et opprobrium exhorruit. Cum spec-
tante eo ludos, pronuntiatum esset in mimo, " O dominum
sequum et bonum," et universi quasi de ipso dictum exul-
tantes comprobassent, statim manu vultuque indecoras adu-
lationes repressit.' Even so late as Innocent III (cf. note on
11. 647-701) we find it a question of dominum, not deum. Peter
Comestor, however, writes in 1178: 'Caesar praeceperat ne
quis eum divum vocaret' (Hist. Evang. 5.), and in the
Mirabilia Romce of the 12th century (see note on 11. 304 if.),
and the Golden Legend, we find deum, and not dominum. The
Golden Legend, however, quotes Innocent as its source, show
ing the interpretation of dominum as deum.

For the introduction of the Sibyl into the V. T., see note
on 1. 640.

348. Which Sibyl this is is not specified. Martinus calls
her the Tiburtine Sibyl, but puts in her mouth the prophecy
of the Erythrean Sibyl ; its omission here is significant (cf.
T. I, 50, and note). The V. T. calls her the Tiburtine Sibyl,
and gives her a prophecy similar to the one here. Origin
ally she was the Delphic Sibyl (see note following).
Higden follows Martinus.

348 if. Notice that Augustus does not ask the Sibyl
whether he should be deified, but whether there shall ever
be a greater king than he. This takes us back to the
earliest form of the legend, found in Malalas' Chronographia
of the 7th century, written in Greek (Migne, Pair. Gr. 97. 357).
He writes : ' Augustus Caesar in the fifth year of his reign,
in the month of October, . . . went to consult the oracle,
and, after sacrificing a hecatomb, inquired: "Who after
me shall rule over the Roman state ? " but there was no
answer from the Pythian priestess. And again he sacrificed,
and inquired why he received no answer, and why the
oracle was silent. Then at length he received this response :

Notes, Chester Nativity (I) 225

A Hebrew boy, God of the blessed Gods,

Orders me to depart hence, and to return to Hades.

Depart thou therefore from our altars.'

The same account is given by Suidas (see note on 11. 178—
179), and a similar one by Cedrenus; Nicephorus Callistus
quotes Malalas.

In the V. T. after the statue has been made (cf. note on
1. 313), Augustus consults the Sibyl as to whether he should
be worshiped, and she replies (11. 48944 if.) :

Ce seroit grant derision,
Et cogiter peux en ton cueur
Qu'il est ung seul dominateur,
Qui descendra d'une pucelle, etc.

349. V. T., 11. 4841 Iff.:

Octavien: Si je ne puis pas bien congnoistre
Que une femme fut tant prudente,
Si experte, ne si sciente
De ce faire.

352—375. This prophecy is evidently not taken from the
Erythrean Sibyl prophecy, as quoted in Martinus. There
is nothing very distinctive about it, and it is probably origin
al, substituted for Martinus' version, perhaps because the
author wished to avoid the difficult task of translating into
English acrostics ; see Introduction, p. xxii.

In the V. T. the Sibyl is more accurately informed. When
she first appears she is praying to "Dieu en trinite," and
she tells the two courtiers who overhear her that it is sin
ful to worship Venus and Mercury, and that God is about
to be born of a virgin.

358. V. T., 11. 49032-3 :

Octavien: Ne s$ait on point quant ce sera?
Sibille: Nenny, le terme est incertain.

392-409. A similar complaint to that of the Towneley
shepherds ; cf. T. IV, 12-36.

427. 'Ascendit autem et loseph a Galilea de civitate Na
zareth in Judeam in civitatem David, que vocatur Bethlem.'
(H). Luke 2. 4.

P

226 Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

432-455. Pseudo-Matt. 13: 'Cum ergo Joseph et Maria
irent per viam quae ducit Bethleem, dixit Maria ad loseph:
Duos populos video ante me, unum flentem et alium gau-
dentem . . . Tune apparuit puer speciosus . . . et dixit : . . .
Populum enim ludaeorum flentem vidit, quia recessit a deo
suo, et populum gentium gaudentem, quia accessit et prope
factus est ad dominum, secundum quod promisit patribus
. . .' Cf. also Protev. 17.

456—463. Apparently based entirely on the clause in
Luke 2. 7 : ' quia non erat locus in diversorio.' The accounts
in the Apocryphal Gospels are quite different. In both
Pseudo-Matt, and Protev. they stop on the road outside of
Bethlehem, because Mary's time has come ; the stable is mere
ly a cave by the roadside. The influence of the liturgical
drama probably survives here ; for in mediaeval painting the
scene is often a cave (cf. Giotto's fresco of the Nativity, in
Padua).

464-468. Protev. 17: 'And Mary said, "Take me down
from the ass, for my burden urgeth me to be delivered."
And he took her down.'

473. Protev. 19 : 'And I saw a woman coming — . . . and I
said, " I am seeking a Hebrew midwife." ' Pseudo-Matt. 13 :
' lam enim dudum loseph perrexerat ad quaerendas obstetrices.'

504 ff. In the Apocryphal Gospels, as in C., the child is
born while Joseph is seeking midwives. In the Old French
Miracle de la Nativite, ed. G. Paris in Miracles de Nostre Dame
vol. 1 (abbreviated hereafter as Mir. d. I. Nat.}, Zebel, the
midwife, guides them to the stable, and is present at the birth.

528-566. The account of the midwives in this play is not
nearly so close to the Apocryphal Gospels as is C. IV, 217—308 ;
see notes on those lines. There is no particular reason for
assuming that the author of Ch. followed any one of the
Apocryphal accounts instead of another, whereas C. clearly
follows Pseudo-Matt. It is quite possible that Ch. follows the
lost Apocryphal Gospel of Bartholomew ; see note on Ch. I, 568.

528. I am not able to account for the name Tebell, except
by supposing that this, too, comes from the lost Gospel of
Bartholomew, see preceding note. In Pseudo-Matt, and in

Notes, Chester Nativity (I) 227

the Protev., the name is Zelomi, as it is in C. Zebel appears
in the Golden Legend and in the Old French Mistcre de la
Nativite, ed. Jubinal, Mysteres Inedits du XV siecle, vol.2 (ab
breviated hereafter as Myst. d. I. Nat.). Tebel appears in
an early Middle English poem on the Nativity, published in
Horstmann's Altenglische Legenden, ed. 1875, 1. 618.

568. Probably referring to the (now lost) Apocryphal
Gospel of St. Bartholomew, which is mentioned by Jerome
(Migne, Pair. Lat. 26. 17) and Gelasius (Migne, Pair. Lat. 59.
162). The Golden Legend (chap. 5) refers twice to f rater Bar-
tholomceus : Abbe Roze in his edition interprets the first ref
erence as referring to the Saint, and the second as referring
to Bartholomew of Sion. As the reference here is to the
miracle wrought on Salome, mentioned in both Pseudo-Matt.
and Protev., it seems probable that it is the lost Gospel that
is referred to.

575-620. The earliest extant description of this temple is
by the Greek Cosmas in the 8th century; see Mai, Spici-
legium Romanum 2.2.221: * They say the Capitol at Rome is
a building great in extent, having in it many images, and
each image is for a sign. For each image has a bell hanging
from its hand, and there is an image for every tribe, and
they say that when any nation is unfriendly its image gives
the sign with its bell.'

Another early account, falsely ascribed to Bede, the author
and date of which is unknown, adds the fact that each image
had the name of its nation inscribed on its breast (Giles,
Works of Bede 4. 10). Other mediaeval accounts are con
tained in a Wessobrunn MS. of the 8th century (Massmann,
Kaiserchronik 3. 426). A mention of it is made by an anon
ymous writer of Salerno in the 10th century (Muratori,
Script. Rer. Ital. 2. 2. 72), and in an llth century Vatican MS.
(Graesse, Beitrage zur Lit. und Sage des Mittelalters, p. 10).

One of the fullest accounts, and to us the most important,
as the probable source of this play, is by the Englishman
Alexander Neckam (born 1158), in his De Naturis Rerum,
chap. 174, where he relates one of the mediaeval Virgil myths :
1 Romae item construxit nobile palatium, in quo cujuslibet

P2

228 Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

regionis imago lignea campanam manu tenebat. Quotiens vero
aliqua regio majestati Roman! imperil insidias moliri ausa
est, incontinenti proditricis icona campanulam pulsare coepit
Miles vero aeneus, equo insidiens aeneo, in summitate fastigii
prsedicti palatii hastam vibrans, in illam se vertit partem quse
regionem illam respiciebat. Prseparavit igitur expedite se
felix embola Romana juventus a senatoribus et patribus con-
scriptis in hostes imperii Romani directa, ut non solum fraudes
prseparatus declinaret, sed etiam in auctores temeritatis anim-
adverteret. Quaesitus autem vates gloriosus, quamdiu a diis
conservandum esset illud nobile aedificium, respondere con-
suevit: " Stabit usque dum virgo pariat." Hoc autem audi-
entes philosopho applaudentes dicebant : " Igitur in aeternum
stabit." In nativitate autem Salvatoris, fertur dicta, domus
inclita subitam fecisse ruina (sic).'

In the Mirabilia Romce a statue of the Persian kingdom
in the temple of Jupiter on the Capitol, by ringing a bell,
warns Agrippa of imminent war (ed. Parthey, § 40).

Comparetti, in his Virgil in the Middle Ages, gives a very
full account of the development of this myth. There are
one or two rather significant versions that he omits, however.
One of these is the Historia Septem Sapientium (ed. Buchner,
p. 42). In this account Virgil is again the artificer ; the build
ing, however, is no longer the Capitol, but a tower. In this
account the image turns its face to the hostile province.
Another exceedingly significant version, as suggestive of the
origin of the myth, is given by Washington Irving in his
Alhambra, in the Legend of the Arabian Astrologer. The
presence of a bronze man on horseback, in this version, is
striking. Another bit of evidence of Spanish or Moorish
origin is found in a 16th century English romance on the
life of Virgil. Here it is casually mentioned that he was
educated at Toledo, and that while there he saw the devil,
and made a bargain with him.

Higden, in the Polychronicon 3. 44, quotes Neckam as his
source for the legend. Before finding this reference in Higden,
I had decided that Neckam was the source of this version.
Higden's quotation tends to confirm this decision ; for it shows

Notes, Chester Nativity (1) 229

at least that Neckam was known in Chester, and probably
in the monastery where our author resided at the time when
this play was written. See note on 11. 304-375.

585. Neckam omits the bells. The Mirabilia and pseudo-
Bede describe the bells as hanging from the neck, as here.
Cosmas has them hanging from the wrist. Cf. note on
1. 587.

587. Pseudo-Bede is the only one that mentions the
name inscribed on the breast. As this is probably an
English production, it is quite possible that the author was
acquainted with it, as well as with the Neckam version. Cf.
note on 1. 585.

620. The Temple of Peace is probably merely an appro
priate name for such a temple as our author is describing,
and he does not mean to refer to any particular temple
As we have seen, in all the early myths the temple is the
Capitol, or Temple of Jupiter ; in this play the ' God of
Rome ' is worshiped in it. It is barely possible that the
author is referring to the Temple of Janus, whose gates were
closed in time of peace and open in time of war. They
were closed for the third time at the birth of Christ. Janus
was peculiarly the ' God of Rome,' and at times was called
deus divom, an appellation often applied to Jupiter, so that
the two gods may have become confused. Moreover, ac
cording to the play the Roman youth are called to arms
from the Temple of Peace, and according to Virgil (Aeneid
7. 607) the consul called to arms from the Temple of Janus.

Tunison, Master Virgil, suggests that the Theatre of
Pompey, with its statues of all the conquered nations, may
have suggested the so-called Temple of Peace.

Martinus (see note on 11. 304-375) refers to the Temple
of Peace built by Vespasian ! He also mentions a Palatium
Pact's, built by Romulus, in which he placed a golden image
of himself, which should stand until a virgin bore a child,
and which fell when Christ was born.

This multitude of different temples is evidence enough of
the confusion and inaccuracy of the mediaeval knowledge of
ancient Roman topography.

230 Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

624. The devil is generally Virgil. In the Golden Legend,
however, Apollo fills this role. St. Peter Damien writes of
the Eternal Temple : ' ab omni ilia deorum imo daemoni-
orum multitudine qusesierunt usquoque durare posset ' ; see
next note, and Introduction, pp. xxii-xxiii.

627-634. This is the commonest part of the legend. In
the llth century St. Peter Damien (Migne, Pair. Lat. 144.
848) continues (see note on 1. 624) : ' Responsum est : " Donee
Virgo pareret." Illi ad impossibilitatem oraculum retorquentes
templum eternum . . . vocaverunt. Nocte eautem ista, cum de
virginali thalamo virgineus flos Mariae egressus est, ita cecidit
et confractum est illud murale et columnatum opus, ut vix
appareant vestigia ruinarum.'

Nicholas of Clairvaux, secretary to St. Bernard (fl. 1150),
gives an identical account (Migne, Patr. Lat. 184. 827).

Pope Innocent III (13th century) writes (Migne, Patr. Lat.
217. 457): 'Templum Pacis funditus corruit. Romani si-
quidem pro pace perfecta . . . templum Pacis mirificum con-
struxerant. De quo consulentes quamdiu deberet durare,
responsum est : " Donee virgo pariat," qui gaudentes re-
sponderunt: "Ergo erit eternum, quia numquam virgo pa-
riet." Sed perdidit Deus sapientiam sapientium . . . quoniam
in hora Dominicae nativitatis funditus corruit.'

The Golden Legend quotes Innocent.

Alexander Neckam is the first to combine the description
of the temple with the legend of the fall of the temple of
Peace.

Neckam's contemporary, Helinandus, makes an allegory
of the legend in a Christmas sermon (Migne, Patr. Lat.
212. 488). According to this sermon there was a triple
disaster : the fall of the temple of Peace, of the palace of
Romulus, and of a model of the city.

Higden, in the Polychronicon, quotes Peter Comestor as
his authority for this legend : ' Templum Pacis corruit in
Roma' (Hist. Evang. 5).

1 The anonymous writer of Salerno, in his attempt to ex
plain what happened to the temple's extraordinary collec
tion of statues, invented or copied a story much more pic-

Notes, Chester Nativity (I) 231

turesque than Neckam's. He declared that the statues had
been carried to Byzantium in the tenth century. On account
of their magical efficiency Emperor Alexander had them
clothed in garments of silk, and became exceedingly proud
of having despoiled the Romans of their chief protection.
But one night St. Peter appeared to him saying, "I am
king of the Romans," and the next day the Emperor died.
(J. Tunison, Master Virgil, pp. 122-123.)

There is a similar legend concerning the fall of the idols in
Egypt, when the infant Christ passed by, in fulfillment of the
prophecy in Isa. 19, 1 : ' Ecce Dominus ascendet super nubem
levem, et movebuntur omnia simulacra ^Egypti.' Cf. in Helin-
andus (Migne, Pair. Lat. 212. 488) the alliance of these two
legends.

628-630. In the Mist. d. 1. Nat., p. 30, we find this in
scription on a statue of Jupiter which Augustus goes to
worship :

Dum virgo mater pariet
Ista ymago corruet.

633-634. In the Mist. d. 1. Nat., p. 69, the messenger re
turning from Judea finds the image of Jupiter fallen to the
ground, and the inscription erased.

640. In the V. T., 11. 48385 ff., Octavien, in describing the
death of Julius Caesar, says:

on vit reluyre

Aprez sa mort au firmament
Trois soleiz .

Ou est le clerc qui sache tant
Qu'il me seust par astrologie
Dire que cella signifie?
Cassiusi II y a une prophetice,
Sibile Tiburte nominee.

This appearance of three suns at the time of the death
of Julius is first mentioned by Pliny (Nat. Hist. 2. 31). Dio
Cassius (3d cent), in his Roman History 47. 40, describes
this appearance as occurring in 42 B. C. Eusebius of Caesarea
(4th cent.), is the first to describe the suns as coalescing.
In the Historica, Olymp. 184, the year of Caesar's death

232 Notes, Chester Nativity (1)

(Migne, Pair. Gr. 19. 519), he writes : ' Romas tres soles simul
exorti paulatim in eundem orbem coierunt.' Julius Obse-
quens (late 4th cent.), in his Prodigia, chap. 128, gives a sim
ilar description. Plutarch, in his Life of Ccesar, merely
mentions that at Caesar's death comets and lights were seen.

There are many records of the appearance of three suns.
Livy (28. 11. 3) tells of the occurrence of such a phenome
non at Alba in 206 B. C. Cicero (Republic 1. 10, 15) says:
' Neque enim leves neque pauci sunt qui se duo soles vi-
disse dicant.' Seneca (Nat. Qucest. 1. 11—12) gives the scien
tific name for such appearances ; he says : ' Grseci parhelia
appellant.' A parhelion was seen at Branford, Conn., on March
20th, 1908.

The Golden Legend seems to be the only authority for
the legend that three suns appeared at the time of Christ's
birth. There the legend is attributed to St. John Chryso-
stom, but I have been unable to discover it in his extant
writings.

643-644. See note on Y. Ill, 136-140.

645. One of these other miracles also was adapted
for Christian purposes by the Church Fathers. Suetonius
(ed. Reifferscheid, Frag. 223, p. 260) records that in 40
B. C. ' e taberna meritoria trans Tiberim oleum terra eru-
pit &c.'

Eusebius adds (Migne, Patr. Gr. 19. 522), ' significans
Christi gratiam.' This legend is repeated, as occuring on
the first Christmas, by St. Peter Damien, Orosius, Nicholas
of Clairvaux, Innocent III, and in the Golden Legend. Hig-
den also includes it in the Polychronicon.

647-701. Martinus' account (see note on 11. 304-375) con
tinues as follows : ' Illico apertum est caalum, et nimis splen
dor irruit super eum; vidit in caelo quandam pulcherrimam
virginem stantem super altare, puerum tenentem in brac-
chiis. Et miratus est nimis et vocem dicentem audivit:
"Hsec ara filii Dei est." Qui statim projiciens se in terram
adoravit. Quam visionem Senatoribus retulit, et ipsi mirati
sunt nimis.' This is taken almost wholly from the Mira-
bilia, 8 37.

Notes, Chester Nativity (I)

In Innocent Ill's Sermo II in Nativitate Domini (Migne,
Patr. Lat. 217. 457) the same account of the vision is given,
hut the only result is the prohibition against being called domi-
num, 'quia natus est Rex regum et Dominus dominantium.'

The vision is also described in a poem written in 1324,
Speculum Humance Salvationis, which follows Innocent close
ly. Petrarch refers to the vision in a letter to Pope Clem
ent VI (see Piper, Mythologie , I. 482-483). Helinandus
gives an allegorical interpretation of it (Migne, Patr. Lat.
212. 489).

647. In the Golden Legend Sibyl first sees the vision,
and calls the Emperor's attention to it (chap. 5), although
this detail is not included in Innocent's sermon.

648. V. T., 11. 49045 ff. :

Sibille: Vella le ciel, regarde bien,
Et te agenoille, Octovien.
Oste ton chappeau par honneur
Devant le souveraine seigneur.

654 if. V. T., stage-direction after 1. 49052 :

' Se desqueuvre Octovien et regarde au ciel ; voit une grande

clarte et est en 1'er une Vierge tenant ung enfant entre ses

bras/

In the Mist. d. I. Nat., Sibyl does not appear, but Cesar

and Sartan (p. 70) 'voisent hors de leur eschaufault et re-

gardent le ciel, et puis die . . .

Cesar: Sartan, je voy la grant clarte
Ainssy comme Balaam le dist.
De ce ne veull pas contredire:
De moi est nez un plus grant sire.'

658 if. V. T., 11. 49104 if.:

Octavien : Le filz de Dieu triumphant
Je adore et veuil adorer,

Pour Dieu jamais ne me adorez.

After 669, stage-direction. Cf. note on 1. 706.

694 if. This element is found only in the Mirabilia, Mar-
tinus, and here. Mirabilia'. 'hanc visionem retulit senatori-
bus, et ipsi mirati sunt nimis.' Cf. note on 11. 647—701.

234 Notes, Chester Shepherds (II)

706. After describing Augustus' consultation of the oracle
(see note on 11. 348 ff.), Malalas proceeds : ' So Augustus
Caesar, departing from the oracle and coming to the Cap
itol, built a great altar on which was written in Roman
script : " Haec est ara Primogeniti Dei." '

708-709. Malalas continues : ' This altar is still to be seen
in the Capitol.'

714-715. Martinus again quotes the Mirabilia : * haec visio
fuit in camera Octaviani imperatoris, ubi nunc est ecclesia
Sanctae Mariae in Capitolio, ubi sunt fratres minores. Idcirco
dicta est Sancta Maria in Ara caeli.' Higden quotes this in
Polychronicon 4. 3.

Golden Legend (chap. 5) : * Therefore the Christian men made
a church of the same chamber of the emperor, and named
it Ara coeli.'

For an exceedingly clear and comprehensive account of
the rise and developement of the Octavian-Sibyl myth in
its general outline the reader is referred to Arturo Graf:
Roma nella Memoria e nelle Immaginazioni del Medio Evo,
Turin, 1882, pp. 308-333. For a legend similar to the Temple
of Peace myth, and which is perhaps related to it, see the
same book, pp. 118 ff. This tale would ally the Colosseum
with the Temple of Peace.

Browning uses the Sibyl's prophecy in his poem, Impe-
rante Augusto Nalus Est — .

CHESTER SHEPHERDS' PLAY (II)

Stanza 16 of the Banes before the Chester Plays, in MS. H,
is as follows:

The Appearinge Angell and starr upon Christes beirth

to Sheapeardes poore, of base and lowe degree,

you painters and glasiors, decke out with all meirth,

and see that " Gloria in excelsis " be songe merelye.

fewe wordes in that pageante makes meirth truely,

for all that the Author had to stande uppon,

was " glorye to god one heigh " and " peace one earth to man."

Notes, Chester Shepherds (II) 235

1-9. This theme of the discomforts of the shepherd's
life, his exposure to storms, his weariness in walking, etc.
is amplified in the Towneley Plays ; cf. T. Ill, 1 ff., and note,
IV, 1-15, 123-128.

5. The rivers Conway and Clwyd run north through the
counties of Carnarvon and Denbigh in Wales, emptying
into the Irish Sea. The Clwyd is about twenty miles west
of Chester, and the Conway ten miles further west; cf. ref
erence to the River Dee in 1. 249.

10. The Suche, possibly the Sychnant or ' dry valley,'
two miles west of Conway.

11-40. Cf. 73-80. These long descriptions of sheep's
diseases, remedial herbs, etc. are unique in the Chester Play.
There is a mere suggestion of them in T. Ill, 25-26.

37. // had the thurssc. The thursse (= the devil, see
Glossary) had it, or it was bewitched.

50—51. Set to sewing with a crow's feather for a needle
— a proverb similar in significance to ' making bricks without
straw.'

73-80. Cf. 11. 11-40, and note.

85-90. This henpecked husband motif is worked out in
detail in T. IV, 236-252, 404-421.

101-136. Cf. T. HI, 208-240.

115. Blaken Hall, a village on the River Dee, a few miles
northwest of Chester. See map of Cheshire in Magna
Britannia, London 172J.

117. Probably the Halton in Lancashire (cf. 1. 120). There
is, however, a town of Alton in the Midlands, near Burton
on Trent; Burton was famous for its ale in the 13th cen
tury, according to William of Malmesbury. We know
nothing of ale-brewing in either Halton or Alton.

120. Lancaster or Lancashire is the county just north of
Chester. The dish and the name 'jannock' seem to have
originated there. One of the few facts we know of Ranulf
Higden's life is that he traveled in Lancashire; see note
on 1. 117.

143-148. The bottle after the meal is also a feature in
T. Ill, 242-262.

236 Notes, Chester Shepherds (II)

165 ff. This speech of Trowle's is very similar in character
to that of the third shepherd in T. IV, 154-171. First comes
a complaint of lacking all the necessities of life, and of
being generally abused by his masters, and finally a rather
impudent assertion of independence.

249. The River Dee flows in an easterly direction, just
south of the source of the River Clwyd (see note on 1. 5),
then turns north, and flowing through Chester empties into
the Irish Sea.

276. Bovearte. Meaning obscure ; possibly related to the
bovate (Lat. bos, bom's; cf. reading in H), an allotment of
land in early English communities, the holder of which had
to furnish one ox for the plough-team of eight oxen. Hence
bovate became the word for the amount of land one ox could
plough in one year.

300. Cf. Ch. II, 452, 461 ; Y. IV, 81 ; T. Ill, 321, IV, 654.
The appearance of the star is borrowed from the Magi story.
The liturgical drama of the Stella became the most popular
of the Christmas plays, and in many cathedrals a large star
was hung over the prcesepe at Christmas time. It is most
natural, therefore, that it should have crept into the Shepherd
Play. Cf. the similar borrowing of the gift-element, Ch.
II. 559.

358-435. This tedious passage has parallels in the other
cycles, which are often clever and humorous ; cf. C. V, 80-85 ;
Y. IV, 60-64; T. Ill, 413-430, IV, 656-664.

418. loden, for leden (see Variants) Latin = language, often
used poetically for the song of birds. See Dante, Ball. 4. 10-13
(Moore, p. 177) :

E cantinne gli augelli
Ciascuno in suo latino
Da sera e da mattino
Sulli verdi arbuscelli.

Chaucer, F. 435 (Sq. T. 427) :

That any foul may in his ledene seyn.
and F. 478 (Sq. T. 470) :

Right in hir haukes ledene thus she seyde.

Notes, Chester Shepherds (II) 237

442-447, and stage-direction. Cf. C. V, 70-77, and stage-
direction; Y. IV, 82-85, and stage-direction.

479. kinge. See note on gode, Ch. I, 16.

480-539. This conversation between the shepherds and
Mary and Joseph is not found in the other cycles. Although
it has the charm of a naive realism, it destroys the sponta
neity and inevitableness of the salutation as we have it in
the other Shepherd plays.

481—482. The naivete of the author is quite charming
at this point. The shepherds appear as religiously
educated 14th century Englishmen, who are perfectly well
acquainted with the Christmas story, and have no difficulty
in establishing the identity of the mother and child. Cf.
T. IE, 453.

512-515. This is brought out in Pseudo-Matt. 12, where
Mary is lead before the priest for having broken her vow
of virginity. Joseph is tried with her, for having broken his
vow to leave her a virgin. This trial is the subject of the
14th play of the Coventry Cycle. Joseph's fear of punishment
appears in several passages of the Joseph plays.

524-527. Cf. Y. I, 25-30, and note.

524-525. De Nat. Mar., 7 : « Pontifex publice denuntiabat
ut virgines, quae in templo publice constituebantur et hoc
aetatis tempus [14] explessent, domum reverterentur, et nuptiis
secundum morem gentis et a3tatis maturitatem operam darent.'
Mary refuses, but is finally married to Joseph. See T. I,
241-242.

536-539. Cf. Luke 2. 17: 'And when they had seen it
they made known abroad the saying which was told them
concerning the child.' The Christmas trope follows this :
<nuntiantes dicite quia natus est.' Cf. Ch. II, 654-678 ; T. HI,
491, 495, IV, 744.

549-551. Cf. T. HI, 454-457.

552 ff. Cf. C. V, 90 ff., and note ; T. HI, 458 ff., and note ;
T. IV, 710 ff.

559. The presentation of gifts by the shepherds is evid
ently borrowed from the Magi story. C. is the only English
cycle that omits this element in the Shepherds' Play ; Arnauld

238 Notes, Coventry, Incarnation (I)

de Greban's Mystere de la Passion (hereafter abbreviated as
Gr.), is the only French play that includes it. In Gr. the
shepherds present a flute, a calendar, a rattle, and a bell.
For another borrowing from the Magi Play, see note on 1. 300.

560. The shepherds seem perfectly frank in admitting that
they are not disinterested; cf. 584-587, 588-591; Y. IV,
105-107, 114-118; cf., however, the boys in Ch. II, 609-640.

571. Cf. note on 1. 559; also see Y. IV, 124.

609-640. Notice the simplicity and beauty of these lines,
far superior to anything else in this play. Notice also the
absence of requests for favor.

630. The first shepherd in Gr. presents a flageolet.

645-646. From the Magnificat; cf. C. Ill, 87.

654-678. See 11. 536-539, and note.

673—675. According to the custom of mendicant friars.
Cf. Chaucer's satirical description in the Prologue 208-269,
especially :

Ther nas noman nowhere so vertuous,
He was the beste beggere in his hous.

and

Therefore instede of wepyng and preyeres
Men most yeve silver to the povre freeres.

685. Louth in Lincolnshire (?). Probably used only for
alliteration.

COVENTRY INCARNATION (I)

In the Prologue to the entire Cycle, Secundus Vexillator
says :

In the xjde. pagent goth Gabriel

And doth salute oure lady fire ;
Than grett with chylde, as I gow telle,

That blyssyd mayde forsothe is she.
Tho iij maydenys that with here dwelle

Here gret speche, bot noon thei se,
Than they suppose that sum angelle

Goddys masangere that it shuld be.

Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I) 239

And thus

The Holy Cost in here is lyth,
And Goddys sone in here is pygth;
The aungelle doth telle what he shal hyght,
And namyth the chylde Jhesus.

Notice that there is no description of 11. 1-213, and cf. note
on C. III.

1—186. These lines belong to one of the most popular
and wide-spread types of mediaeval allegory. The general
history of this allegory has been admirably treated by Miss
Hope Traver in a Bryn Mawr Dissertation (1907), called
The Four Daughters of God. To this dissertation I am in
debted for a complete bibliography of the subject, and for
the suggestion of the parallel between this play and the
Charter of the Abbey of the Holy Ghost.

The allegory is based on Ps. 84. 11 : ' Misericordia et Veritas
obviaverunt sibi, Justitia et Pax osculatae sunt.' This verse
was first allegorized in the Midrash, where the dispute arises
at the time of the creation of man. Hugo of St. Victor
(1097-1141) and Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) developed
the allegory, probably independently. Hugo's version does
not concern us here, as it had no effect on this play. Ber
nard was the first to associate the story with the Advent
season; this association being suggested probably by the
occurrence of Ps. 84. 11 in the Christmas liturgy. Bernard's
version is found in his sermon, In Festo Annunciationis Beaice
Virginis (Migne, Pair. Lat. 183. 383-390). This sermon is the
direct ancestor of the greater number of the mediaeval versions.

The great influence of this sermon, however, comes through
a secondary source, the 14th century version by Bonaventura
(see Introduction, p. xxxiii) in hisMeditationes Vitce Christi, chaps.
1 and 2 (Opera Sancti Bonaventura?, Venice 1756, vol. 12).
From these Meditations the author of our play seems to have
borrowed directly in many places (cf. notes on 11. 113-170).
In other places, howewer, particularly in the first hundred
lines, the frequent exact parallels in language with the 14th
century English Charter of the Abbey of the Holy Ghost (Horst-
mann, Richard Rolle of Hampole 1. 345-351) would seem to

240 Notes, Coventry Incarnation (1)

show that they are both derived directly from an earlier
English version of Bonaventura's Meditations. Miss Traver has
shown that the play is not derived from the Charter, as it
follows Bonaventura at times when the Charter does not; for
instance, in the order of events and the placing of the
Council of the Trinity after the dispute between the sisters
(see 1. 171, note). The Charter also omits the Annunciation,
which appears in both Bonaventura and the play.

Hone (Ancient Mysteries) suggested that this play was
derived from an English translation of Bonaventura known
as the Speculum Vitce Christi or the Mirror of the blissed
lyffe of oure Lorde Ihu Chryste (then unpublished), but from
the extracts which he gives there is no reason for such a
theory.

If Hone refers to the translation by Nicholas Love (circ.
1400), recently published, he has no foundation for such a
theory. There are practically no verbal parallels between Love's
translation and the versions in our play and in the Charter.

The earliest English version of the allegory, taken prob
ably from Bernard, is a 12th century poem, Vices and Virtues
(ed. Holthausen, EETS. 89). The 15th century Castell of
Perseverance (EETS. Ex. Ser. 91) is, next to the Charter,
the English version closest to our play. Its resemblance
consists in the main outline of the arguments offered by the
sisters, and there are a few verbal parallels. The dispute
arises, however, at the time of man's death, and not before
the Incarnation. Miss Traver conjectures, and I think rightly,
that the Castell is from the same unknown source as the
Charter and our play.

Lydgate's Life of our Lady also includes the allegory,
apparently taken from Bernard. There are many continental
versions, chief among which is Arnauld de Greban's Mistere
de la Passion. But there was also a very different deve
lopment of the allegory through a version, contemporary
with Bonaventura's, by the English bishop, Grossetete, in
his feudal allegory, the Chasteau dy Amour. The best known
descendant of this version is in the Cursor Mundi, which
therefore is only remotely connected with this play.

Notes, Coventry Incarnation (1) 241

The allegory appears several times in later English liter
ature, but the treatment is always very general, and it is
impossible to trace any relation to the older forms. The
first of these later versions appears in Piers Plowman, just
before the Harrowing of Hell (Passus 18, Text B). Skeat
thinks that the author had in mind the Coventry Mysteries.
I agree with Miss Traver that there is no reason for such
a supposition, and I suspect that, after tracing the develop
ment of the allegory in Miss Traver's monograph, Professor
Skeat himself would not maintain this theory. Another
English version, The Court of Sapience, ascribed to Lydgate
(15th cent), shows the influence of both Bonaventura and
Grossetete.

Miss Traver includes a very remote analogue in Jacob's
Well (15th cent., EETS. 115. 255-256). A much later re
miniscence is in Giles Fletcher's Chrisfs Victory (1610),
and another in Drummond of Hawthoraden's The Shadow
of Jugement.

For an account of the many Continental versions the stu
dent is referred to Miss Traver's monograph. One English
version, which has escaped Miss Traver, is in one of the
Ballatis of the Nativite of Christ, in the Bannatyne MS. (ed.
Hunterian Club, Pt. I, pp. 73-74) :

Quhen we were banyst fro thi blys,
And in the lymb fra lichtnes lent,
Mercy bad the forgif our miss,
And mekle mekit thyn entent.
Bot Richt said euer in jugement
Quod summa veritas fuisti,
And mycht nocht to that wrang consent :
Beata vbera que suxisti.

Thus euer quhen Mercy spak for man
Rycht said: 'He seruit for to de,'
Sa vpoun this a stryfe began
In hevynnis consistory he.
Thow, Sone of God, thame to agre,
Lis quorum celis non cessauit,
To de for man thow tuk on the :
Beatus venter qui te portauit.

Q

242 Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I)

Than with sueit sound and melody
Sang all the angell ordouris cleir,
And all the hevinly cumpany
Reiosit with a blisfull cheir.
Peace kist Justice, hir sistir' deir,
Quia nos redimere voluisti,
Than Rycht and Mercy imbracit neir.
Beatus vbera que suxisti.

1—56. This introduction, to the strife of the sisters is one
of the marks which distinguish Bonaventura and his follow
ers from Bernard and his followers. Bonaventura prefixed
a chapter to Bernard's account, in which the angels pray
for man's redemption. The Italian Annunziatione (ed. Ancona,
Sacre Rappresentazioni i. 182) follows Bonaventura closely.

1-3. Charter of the Abbey of the Holy Ghost (see above,
hereafter abbreviated as Char.), p. 345 : ' and Adam hadde
mochel sorowe and fel seke and deid and his wyf bothe,
and here soules wenten to helle, and that was grete pyter
and not oneliche thei alone but all tho that comen of hem,
the whyche kemen aftur that be foure thousande sex hundred
and foure yer wenten to helle eychone.'

1. Among the one hundred and eight computations of
the year of the creation recorded in LArt de Verifier les
Dates, none can be made to agree with this computation of
the years that Adam suffered in Hell. I have, however,
worked out the method by which this result was reached.
According to the Gospel of Nicodemus (cf. notes on T. I,
9—15, and 12) Christ was to come 5500 years after the crea
tion; according to Gen. 5. 5, Adam lived to be 930 years
old. Subtracting 930 from 5500 we find that at the time of
the Incarnation Adam had been in Hell 4570 years. Now most
of the accounts of #ie redemption of Adam are of course
given in the description of the Harrowing of Hell, which
occurred in 33 A. D. Evidently the author of the source of
our play and the Charter carelessly followed such a com
putation, forgetting that his play was supposed to represent
the year of the Incarnation; for adding the 33 years of
Christ's life to the 4570 years between Adam's death and
the birth of Christ we get 4603 years, practically the date

Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I) 243

in the play, for there is always confusion in reckoning the
year of the Nativity.

Cf. Y. 37. (The Harrowing of Hell) 39-40:

Adam: Foure thousande and sex hundreth gere
Haue we been here in this stede.

The 4004 years, which we find given in the King James
version of the Bible as the date of the creation, are merely
due to the computation of Archbishop Ussher (d. 1653).

7. The introduction of Isaiah and Jeremiah into this prelim
inary appeal is due, undoubtedly, to the influence of the
Prophet plays, where they normally appear as first and
second prophets. Cf. note on Y. I, 1-132.

Isaiah appears in the Prologue to the Coventry Shearmen
and Taylors' Pageant of the Nativity (EETS. Ex. Ser. 87).
He prays God to release mankind from misery, and to restore
to grace Adam and us, by a child born of a virgin.

7-10. Char. 347 : 'Isaye seyde thus, "utinam dirumperes
celos et descenderes [Is. 64. 1], Wolde god," he seyd, " thou
woldest bresten heuene and come adoon." '

8. A parenthetical remark, not Isaiah's prophesy, which
begins in the next line.

9. Char. 345: 'And he cam doun into this world and
sought hem [mankind] here thre and thretty geer.'

17-18. Char. 347: 'leromye made a reuful mone and
seyde thus "Ve mihi misero, quoniam addidit dominus
dolorem dolori meo. wo to me, wrecche," he seith, " that
God hath eked more sorowe to my sorowe. I have trauayled
withouten reste in sikynge and in kare." ' This is from
Jeremiah 45. 3, and is wrongly attributed to Isaiah in the
play.

25 ff. Char. 347 : ' " Quis dabit capiti meo aquam et ocu-
lis meis fontem lacrimarum, et plorabo die et nocte inter-
feccionem filiae populi mei Qer. 9. 1]. A," he seith, " who
shal geven me water to myn heued, and who schal geuen
me a welle of terris to myn eyen." '

The following is the prophecy of Jeremiah from the Chester
Balaam and Balak, Ch. 5. 329 if.

Q2

244 Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I)

My eyes must run and sorrow aye
Without ceasing, night and day,
for my daughter, soth to say,
Shall suffer great anye.

This is taken from Jer. 14. 17, but is similar to the one
in our text, and is another indication of the fusion of the
prophet element with Bonaventura's Meditationes. Cf. note
on 1. 7.

29—30. Char. 348 : '" me thinketh thi sorwe is as grete
as a see . . . Cecidit corona capitis nostri, ve nobis quia
peccauimus. I can nougt ellis seyn," he seith, " but the fairest
flour of al oure garland is fallen away, alas, alas, and
weloway that euer we dede synne." '

48. This argument appears in Bonaventura, Med. 1, where
the angels, addressing God, say : ' Domine, placuit majestati
vestrse, et rationalem creaturam, scilicet hominem creare
propter vestram bonitatem, ut ipse esset hie nobiscum, et
ut nobis ex ipso nostrarum contingeret restauratio ruinarum.'

From this arose one of the most popular mystery ' dis
putes,' as to whether man's sin of disobedience was as bad
as Lucifer's sin of pride. This discussion fills many a weary
line of Greban. The fact of the bare mention of it here is
another indication of the closeness of the play to Bonaven
tura, and of its independence of continental models.

52-53. Char. 348 : ' And whan Almigty God had hard thus
thes prophetis, with many othere men, make mochel mone
for many geer, ... he had grete pyte of hem that thei ferden
so, and that mannes soule was in the prisone of the pyne
of helle.'

57-62. Char. 349 : ' And thanne seyde Truthe thus : " Ecce
enim veritatem dilexisti. A, lord," scho seyde, "thou hast
euermore loued wele me that am thi dougtre, ... I pray the
forsake nougt me. Thou seydst that what time that man ete
of that appul that he schulde dieye and gon to helle." '

65. Char. 349 : l " Quia Veritas domini manet in eternum.
for whi goddys treuthe schulde dwellen euere-more with-
outen ende." '

72-76. Char. 350 : ' " Therfore, leue lord," scho seyd, " lat

Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I) 245

man be stille in helle and forsake nou£t me." And thanne
seyde Mercy : " O pater misericordiarum et deus tocius con-
solacionis, qui consolaris nos in omni tribulacione nostra. A,
thou fader of mercy," scho seyde, " and God of al comforte,
thou that confortes all thing in anger and wo, haue mercy
of mannus soul." '

81—83. Char. 350 : ' " Quoniam dixisti in eternum seruabo
illi misericordiam. for why," scho seyde, " thou seydest thou
schuldest kepe to hym thi mercy withouten ende, and gif
therefore thou be trewe thou schalt haue mercy of mannus
soule." '

89-96. Char. 350 : ' And thanne seyde Rigtfulnesse : " Nay,
nay," scho seith, "it may not be so. Quia iustus dominus
et iusticias dilexit. for whi, lord," scho seith, "thou art
rigtful and thou louest rigtfulnesse, and therefore thou ne
mayest not rihtfulliche sauen mannus soule. it is rigt that it
haue as it hath disserued. Dominum qui se genuit dereliquit
et oblitus est dei creatoris sui. he forsoke God that hath
forthe-Ibrought him, and he format the that madest hym of
nougt, and therfore it is resoun that he that hath forsaken
the lord of all pitee and mercy that he neuer haue of the
neither pitee nor mercy." '

101-112. Char. 350 : ' " Therfore lat mannus soule be stille
as it is, for that is resoun, and ellis me thinketh thou hast
forsaken me." . . . And thanne seyd Mercy to Rigtfulness : " A,
leve suster, lat ben and seye not so, ... Quia misericordia
eius super omnia opera eius. for whi only goddis mercy is
abouen all his werkis. Et misericordia eius ab eterno et
usque in eternum. and Gods mercy was withouten begynnyng
and schall ben withouten endyng." '

108-110. This idea appears in Gr., 11. 2498-2505:

Franche volonte en saisine

Avoit 1'omme lors, point n'en doubte;

Mes sensualite voisine

Lui estoit et contraire toute.

L'ennemy, la char qui domine

Le monde test croit et escoute,

Comme la branche qui s'encline

Au vent qui le plus fort la boute.

246 Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I)

113-170. These lines seem to be taken directly from
Bonaventura, Med. 2 ; see notes following.

113—114. Med. 2 : ' Dixit pax, " Parcite vobis a verbis istis,
virtutum non est honesta contentio."'

115—144. Char. 351 : 'And thanne seide Pees to here thre
sistren, " Pax domini exsuperat omnem sensum. Goddis pees
ouergoth eueriche manes witt. Thoug it be so," scho seiyth,
"that Truthe seith a grete skile why mannus soule schulde
not be saued and Rigtfulnesse seith also, neuertheles me
thenketh that Mercy seith altherbest that man schulde be
saued, for why ellys, " scho seith, " schulde God forsaken gow
al thre, bothe Rigtfulnesse and Mercy & Trewthe, and that
were grete reuthe; and not only schulde he thus forsaken
al gou thre, but he schulde also forsaken me. forwhy as
longe as man's soule is in helle ther shall ben discord . . .
bytwene God and man, bytwene aungel and man, bytwene
man and man, bytwene man and himself, so that I, that am
pes, schulde a-ben forsaken ouer-al, and that were no resoun,
and therfore doth after my conseil, and praye we alle to-
geders to God that is prince of pees, that he wole maken
pees and acord by-twixen gow thre, bytwyne hymself and
man, by-twyne man and aungel, and bytwyne man and man,
and ordeyne sich a weye that he migt kepe us stille alle
foure, bothe Mercy and Truthe, Rigtfulnesse and Pees." and
hem thougte that scho seyde best and prayden alle to the
fadur of heuene that he schulde so don. And he seyde.
" Ego cogito cogitationes pacis et non afflictionis. I thenke,"
he sayde, "the thougtis of pes and nougt of wickednesse.
I schal kepe gou stille alle foure, and I schal sauen mannus
soule and brynge hym to blisse." '

137—144. Med. 2 : ' Scripsit autem Rex sententiam quam
paci, quse propinquius ei stabat, dedit legendam, sic conti-
nentem. Haec dicit, " Perii si Adam non moriatur." Et haec
dicit, " Perii si non misericordiam consequatur. Fiat mors
bona, et habeant utraeque quod petunt." '

145—152. Med. 2 : ' Inveniatur qui ex charitate moriatur,
non obnoxius morti, et sic mors non polerit tenere innoxium, sed
faciat in ea foramen, per quod transeant liberati. Placuit sermo.'

Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I) 247

153-160. Med. 2 : * Rediit ergo Veritas ad terram et miseri-
cordia remansit in caelo. . . . Sed a misericordia perlustra-
tur ccelum et neminem invenit, qui sufficientem ad hoc habeat

charitatem Et cum nullus inveniretur, .... redeunt ad

constitutam diem ..." non invento quod desiderabant,"
dixit pax.'

161-162. Med. 2: ' Omnes enim servi sumus, et qui cum
bene fecerimus dicere debemus illud Lucae " Quia inutiles
servi sumus." ' This is not said by Justice, however, in Med.

167-170. Med. 2: 'Dixit Pax, "Qui dedit consilium feret
auxilium." Intellexit hoc Rex et ait, "Pcenitet me fecisse
hominem ; poenitentiam me agere oportet, pro homine quem
creavi." '

171. The Council of the Trinity (see following notes) in
the Char, precedes the strife between the sisters.

171-180. Char. 348 : 'He ordeyned a counseil of the holy
trinite in the blisse of heuene, of the fadur and of the sone
and of the holy gost, and seyde, " ge weten wel we maden
mannus soule to oure likenesse, . . . and by his folye he [fell],
. . . and therfore he was taken out and put in to prisoun
of the pit of helle, and there he hath bene nowe foure
thousand ger sexe hundred and more, and that is grete pitee ;
me thynkith it were a good dede ... to delyuere mannus
soule out of that sorye prisoun, . . . haue we pity on hym." . . .
And alle the holy trinite graunted that it schulde so be.
" But," he seyde, " who that schulde don swyche a dede,
hym behoued for to be swyche on that were beholden for
to don it, and also that he migt don it." But there was no
thing that was byholden to delyueren mannus soule but on-
liche man, ne ther was no thing that migte delyuere hym
but gif it were god; and therfore who so schulde do that
dede he most be bothe god and man .... almigty goddis
sone schulde come doun into this world and ben Iborn of
a mayden and becomen man.'

179. Bona ventura differs here. The Son is chosen for
the mission by the Virtues, because the Father is too terrible
and mighty to please Mercy and Peace, and the Holy Spirit
is too gentle and benign to please Truth and Justice.

248 Notes, Coventry Incarnation (1)

185. Med. 2 : ' Tune ergo impletum est illud propheticum :
" Misericordia et Veritas obviaverunt sibi, Justitia et Pax os-
culatae sunt.'"

190. St. Ephrem, Serm. de laud. Dei Gen. Mar. /, on
Zechariah 4. 2-3 : ' Behold a candlestick all of gold etc./
writes : ' Who then is the candlestick ? The holy Mary, be
cause she bore the immaterial light, the God Incarnate, . . .
and as the candlestick is not of itself the cause of light,
but is that which bears the light, so too the Virgin is not
of herself God, but the temple of God.' See Livius, The
Blessed Virgin in the Fathers, Index, under Mary as the golden
candlestick.

215-216. Directly from Luke 1. 28; cf. Ch. I, 1-4, note.

217. The second verse of the hymn Ave Maris Stella,
sung at the Feast of the Annunciation, is as follows :

Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace,
Mutans Evse nomen.

See Gueranger, L'Annee Liturgique : Le Careme, p. 562.
Mist. d. 1. Nat. p. 48, Gabriel says:

Per toi est joie recouvree
Qui par Evain estoit perdue.

The idea of Mary as a second Eve was a popular one
even in the first centuries of the Church. St. Justin (120-165
A. D.) writes (Migne, Patr. Gr. 6. 710): 'Whereas Eve, yet
a virgin and undefiled, through conceiving the word that
came from the serpent, brought forth death; the virgin
Mary, taking faith and joy, when the angel told her the good
tidings, answered " Be it unto me according to thy word." *

Irenaeus (Migne, Patr. Gr. 7. 958) and Tertullian (Migne,
Patr. Lat. 2. 782) have similar comparisons. For many
other references, and for a full discussion of the subject, see
Livius, The Blessed Virgin in the Fathers, chap. 1.

Cf. T. I, 32-34, and note.

218-226. The general idea in these lines seems to come
from Bonaventura's long treatise on the Ave Maria, called
Speculum B. Marice Virginis. The titles of the various

Notes, Coventry Incarnation (I) 249

chapters will best show the connection : Chap. 2. * Quod
B. V. Maria libera fuit a triplici vae culpae actualis, . . .
miserae originalis, . . . pcenae gehennalis'; cf. 1. 218. There
is also some punning on the words Vae and Ave in this
chapter, which may have suggested 1. 217. Chap. 5. ' Quod
gratia Mariae sit vera, immensa, multiplex et utile valde';
cf. 11. 221-222. Chaps. 8-10 explain why God was peculi
arly with Mary, for she was 'filia nobilissima, mater
dignissima, sponsa venustissima, et ancilla devotissima ' ; cf.
11. 223-225. Bonaventura in Med. 6, introduces the triple
commendation : ' Commendabatur quod esset gratia plena,
quod Dominus esset secum, et quod esset benedicta super
omnes mulieres.'

St. Augustine, in Sermo CXXI11 : In Natali Domini (Migne,
Pair. Lat. 39), gives a similar interpretation.

230 if. De Nat. Mar. 9 : ' Virgo autem quae iam angelicos
bene noverat vultus et lumen caeleste insuetum non habe-
bat, neque angelica visione territa neque luminis magnitudine
stupefacta, sed in solo eius sermone turbata est.' Quoted by
Bonaventura in Med. 4, who adds : ' Cum videret se tribus
commendari non poterat humilis Domina non turban.'

235-242. The author now returns to the account in Luke
1. 30-33, which is followed and preceded by the account
from De. Nat. Mar. See notes, and cf. Ch. I, 9-20; Y. I,
153-168; T. I, 92-105.

247-248. De Nat. Mar. 9 : ' His angeli verbis virgo, non
incredula sed modum scire volens, respondit : " Quomodo istud
fieri potest?"1

249-257. Again a close paraphrase of Luke 1. 35-37.
Cf. Ch. I, 27-40; Y. I, 177-184.

261—262. Med. 4 : ' Tota Trinitas est ibi expectans respon-
sionem et consensum huius filiae singularis.1

267-282. In the Gospel ofNicodemus, chap. 19, the promise
of a redeemer to the souls in hell is made by God to Seth,
the son of Adam, who relates it to the patriarchs and prophets.

285-286. Luke 1. 38. Mary's humility is more strongly
emphasised in De Nat. Mar. 9, where she adds to this reply :
1 neque enim dominae nomine digna sum.'

250 Notes, Coventry Joseph (II)

After 290, stage-direction. Mis. d. 1. Nat. p. 50 : ' Cy des-
cende 1 coulom qui soit fait par bonne maniere.'

291-298. Med. 4: 'Tune films Dei statim totus et sine
mora intravit uterum virginis, et ex ea carnem assumpsit, . . .
et in eodem instanti anima creata et infusa erat, perfectus
homo secundum omnia corporis lineamenta, sed parvulus
valde ita quod in utero postea naturaliter crescebat, ut alii,
sed non fuit dilata infusio animae, vel membrorum distinctio,
ut in aliis. Erat enim perfectus Deus sicut perfectus homo,
et ita sapiens et potens.'

The closeness of the above to the version in the play is
best recognized by comparing other versions of the same
thing. See for instance St. Augustine, Sermo CXCIV\ De
Annuntiatione (Migne, Patr. Lat. 39. 2106) : * Nee mora, rever-
titur nuntius et virginalem thalamum ingreditur Christus.
Efficitur subito praegnans beata Dei genetrix.'

311. The appellation turtle-dove is from the interpretation
of the Song of Solomon 6. 8 : ' One is my dove, my turtle
is but one.' See Livius, The Blessed Virgin in the Fathers,
Index, under title: Mary as dove.

328. Cf. C. IV, 48-51, note. De Nat. Mar. 1 : 'Igitur beata
et gloriosa semper Virgo Maria de stirpe regia et familia
David oriunda.'

No mention is made in Scripture of Mary's descent, nor
of her being of the tribe of David. It is Joseph's descent
from David that is given in Matt. 1. and Luke 3. The Church
Fathers, to explain Christ's descent from David, decided that
Mary was Joseph's cousin.

After 338. A hymn of the 12th or 13th century, accord
ing to Daniel (Thesaurus Hymnolog.}. Not often used in
the Church liturgy.

COVENTRY JOSEPH PLAY (II).
In the Prologue to the Cycle, Tertius Vexillator says:

In the xij pagent, as I gow telle,
Joseph comyth horn fro fer countre,

Notes, Coventry Joseph (II) 251

Oure ladyes wombe with chylde doth swelle,

And then Joseph ful heuy is he.
He doth forsake here with hert ful felle,

Out of countre he gynnyth to fle,
He nevyr more thenkyth with here to dwelle,

And than oure lady ryth sore wepyth she.

An Aungelle seyd hym ryf,
' God is with thi wyff sertayn,
Therfore, Joseph, turne horn agayne.'
Than is Joseph in herte ful fayn
And goth ageyn onto his wyff.

C, not following Bonaventura, agrees with T. in putting
the play of Joseph's trouble before the Visitation. Ch. and
Y. follow the Protev. and the suggestion in De Nat. Mar.
9 in putting the Visitation first. There is no Scriptural
authority for either arrangement, and no Apocryphal authority
for the C. T. arrangement.

1. Protev. 13 : ' And her sixth month came, and behold
Joseph came from his house-building ; and entering his house
he found her pregnant.'

Pseudo-Matt. 10 :' Cum haec agerentur, Joseph in Caphar-
naum maritima erat in opere occupatus, erat enim faber
ligni: ubi moratus est mensibus novem. Reversusque in
domum suum invenit Mariam pregnantem.'

3. Susanna. ] Pseudo-Matt. 8. : ' Tune loseph accepit Mariam
cum aliis quinque virginibus, quae essent cum ea in domo
loseph. Erant autem istae virgines Rebecca, Sephora, Su
sanna, Abigea et Zahel.'

15- 16. Cf. the bright light which shone from the stable
when Joseph brought the midwives (C. IV, 161-166, and
note), and which was strangely enough no more convincing
to Salome than this light is to Joseph.

25 ff. This kind of dialogue between Mary and Joseph,
its origin and relation to the drama, are discussed by Cook
in ' A Remote Analogue to the Miracle Play ' (Jour. Eng.
and Ger. Phil., 4. 420). Such dialogues appear in S. Athanasius
(Migne, Patr. Gr. 28. 951), in a sermon attributed to S.
Chrysostom (Migne, Patr. Gr. 60. 758), in Proclus (Migne,
Patr. Gr. 65. 736), in Germanus (Migne, Patr. Gr. 98. 331),

252 Notes, Coventry Joseph (II)

and in a sermon attributed to Augustine (Migne, Pair. Lat.
39. 2109). There is another example in the Old English Christ
of Cynewulf (11. 164-213).

In Athanasius, Joseph is merely perplexed to understand
how the virtuous Mary can have sinned, and he is rebuked
by Mary for lack of faith in her. In pseudo-Chrysostom
he discusses whether he shall leave her or expose her.
If he does the latter, he fears that she may prove to be
innocent. The same doubt as to whether or not to ex
pose her is the chief theme of Proclus' sermon. In Ger-
manus, Joseph tries to discover who the child's father is ;
in Augustine, he protests his own innocence, and again is
uncertain about exposing her.

All these elements appear in most of our Joseph plays ;
but as they also appear in the Apocryphal Gospels, I should
doubt very strongly whether there is any conscious borrow
ing from the sermons. At least there is no conclusive
evidence either way, and it seems more probable that the
Joseph plays are merely realistic expansions of the Scrip
tural and Apocryphal accounts.

There are a few rather insignificant parallels between the
sermons and the mysteries. See notes on C. II, 97, 114—115 ;
Y. II, 61-62 ; T. I, 292, 305-310.

36-38. Cf. 42, 47-48 ; Y. II, 103, 158-159 ; T. 1. 186-187 ;
195.

55-56. In John Heywood's Epigrams on Proverbs (1562),
in two proverbs which have nothing else in common with
this one, the bent of one's bow stands for one's disposition
or course of action.

59 ff. Pseudo-Matt. 11: * Cumque ordinasset in nocte ex-
surgere ut fugiens habitaret in occultis, ecce in ipsa nocte
apparuit angelus Domini.'

The Scriptural and other Apocryphal accounts make Joseph
decide to divorce Mary, 'put her away privily,1 not run
away from her.

67. Sephor. ] See note on 1. 3.

71 fF. Pseudo-Matt. 10: 'Ut quid me seducitis ut credam
vobis quia angelus Domini impregnavit earn? Potest enim

Notes, Coventry Joseph (III) 253

fieri ut quisquam se finxerit angelum Domini et deceperit
earn.'

82-83. Les Proverbes Communs, Jean de la Veprie, Paris
1498 : ' Vous battez les buissons dont une autre a les oysissons.'
Also quoted in English in John Ray's Collection of English
Proverbs, 1742.

95 ff. Protev. 14 :' And Joseph was greatly afraid, and
separated from her, and reasoned what he should do with
her. And Joseph said : " If I hide her fault, I find myself
fighting with the law of the Lord ; and if I betray her to
the children of Israel, I fear lest that which is in her is
holy, and I shall be found betraying innocent blood to the
sentence of death." '

96 f. Deuteronomy 22. 13, 20-21 : ' If any man take a
wife and go in unto her, . . . and the tokens of virginity be
not found for the damsel ; then shall they bring the damsel
out to the door of her father's house, and the men of her
city shall stone her with stones that she die: for she hath
wrought foully in Israel.'

97. Augustine (Migne, Patr. Lat. 39. 2109): 'Whatso
ever virgin shall defile her father's house with adultery
shall be stoned.' Cf. also C. 23, where this is quoted as
Mosaic law.

114-115. Germanus (Migne, Patr. Gr. 98. 331): 'Reveal,
O Mary, the plotter against my house. ... He hath dis
honoured my house, and the twelve tribes shall have me in
derision.'

120-121. This sounds like a proverb, but I have not
been able to find it elsewhere.

127-136. Y. II, 202-208, 231-236.

151 ff. Expansion of Matt. 1. 20-21. The Apocryphal
Gospels follow Matthew.

160 if. Pseudo-Matt. 11 :' Exsurgens autem Joseph a somno
gratias egit Deo suo, et locutus est Marise et virginibus quae
erant cum ea et narravit visum suum. Et consolatus est
super Mariam, dicens: "Peccavi, quoniam suspicionem ali-
quam habui in te." '

173-174. Matt. 1. 21-22: * For he shall save his people

254 Notes, Coventry Visitation (III)

from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet.'

178-179. Cf. T. I, 338-340.

184-188. Cf. Y. II, 294-298.

COVENTRY VISITATION (III).

No mention is made of this play in the Prologue, where
all the other plays are described in turn. A large part of
this play is composed of a monologue by Contemplacion.
We have noticed that in the Prologue dealing with C. I,
the Contemplacion part of that play was not mentioned. It
seems quite probable that at the time the Prologue was
written this play was being revised, and the Contemplacion
scenes added here and in C. I. Nothing is lost in the main
action if we eliminate these scenes, and much is gained in
consistency in this play, where Contemplacion's speeches are
often in direct variance with the plot. Cf. 11. 147-149, 152
and notes.

7-8. Luke 1. 39 : ' Exsurgens autem Maria in diebus illis
abiit in montana cum festinatione, in civitatem Juda.'

23-27. I Chronicles 24.

23-25. Bonaventura, Expositio in Cap. I. S. Lucce (Opera,
vol. 6) : ' Cum David cultum Dei ampliaret, sicut dicitur in
Paralipom., ministeria sacerdotum in viginti quatuor sortes
di visit : inter quas familia Abias, de qua fuit Zacharias.'

26—27. In another part of the Expositio Bonaventura ex
plains: 'Sacerdotale explicit officium, adjungendo regale
dominium. '

27-36. Luke 1. 11, 13, 18, 20, 23-24.

35. The only reference in the Apocryphal Gospels to
Zachary is in the Protev. 10: 'And at that time Zacharias
became speechless, and Samuel was in his stead, until Zacha
rias spake.'

37. At the time of the Annunciation; cf. Luke 1. 36,
also C. I, 253.

Notes, Coventry Visitation (HI) 255

43. The change of style from Contemplation's erudite
monologue, back to the simple and natural dialogue between
Mary and Joseph, is most striking here. Moreover, it seems
much more in accord with the custom in the mysteries not to
attempt to fill in the intermission, while Mary and Joseph are
climbing the hills of * Montana.' Here it seems most credible
that the monologue is a late addition by some sophisticated
emendator, who wished to account for the time spent in the
journey, and at the same time air his own learning.

53-54. Luke 1. 41.

58-59. Luke 1. 42. Cf. Ch. I, 1-4, and note.

61, 63-64. Luke 1. 43-45.

66. See note on C. Ill, 76.

71. See C. I, 292.

76. Med. 5 : ' Quaerit Domina de modo suae conceptionis et
Elizabeth de modo suae et haec sibi invicem narrant laetanter.'

81-126. The Magnificat, with English translation by Eliz
abeth. The hard work and conspicuous failure that the author
makes of this translation is all the proof that we need that
these plays were originally written in English. Notice that
the author has retained the Gloria Patri, which the Church
added to the Magnificat in the service ; this is another bit
of evidence that the author was following the liturgy, perhaps
a liturgical drama, and not merely the Scripture version.
Cf. Gabriel's use of the Church canticle Ave Maria in Ch. I,
1-4, instead of his salutation as recorded in Luke.

82—126. A similar interlinear translation, quite as unsuc
cessful as poetry, appears in a version of the Lord's prayer in
the Auchinleck MS. (Engl. Stud. 9. 47).

129-130. Even unto this day!

131—136. Med. 5 : ' Et stetit ibidem Domina quasi mensibus
tribus, ministrans et serviens ei in omnibus quae poterat, humi
liter, reverenter, et devote, quasi oblita se matrem Dei esse.'

147-149. These lines are evidently out of place (see
variants), nor do they seem to belong between 11. 50 and
51, where we might expect them. Perhaps this shows that
in transcribing this play our scribe was working on two
different manuscripts, with different versions of the play, the

256 Notes, Coventry Visitation (IV)

one including these lines written to go with the " Contempla-
cion" version.

151. Proverbs 3. 12: 'For whom the Lord loveth he cor-
recteth.'

152. This sudden transition from speeches of greeting to
speeches of farewell may be accounted for by the lack of
skill on the part of the dramatist in his attempt to get the
characters off the stage, but more probably it is because of
the composite nature of this version of the play.

157. Cf. 152, and note. Notice that Mary and Joseph
have not stayed the three months promised in 1. 132 ; in
1. 174, however, Contemplacion tells us that they did stay
three months.

165—169. The Ave Maria was inserted in the Church
service for the Fourth Sunday in Advent by Gregory the
Great, in the sixth century. It is first mentioned in England,
however, in 1237. In 1260 Pope Urban added at the end
'Jesus Christ, Amen ' (cf. 1. 169).

170. Oure ladyes sawtere = the Rosary. It consists of
150 Ave Marias and 15 Pater Nosters, so distributed that
after every 10th Ave shall come a Pater Noster. See Rock,
Church of our Fathers 3. 320. The Rosary was called a
Psalter, because it took the place in the people's devotions
of the Book of Psalms of the Virgin, a paraphrase of the
Psalms in honor of the Virgin. See Bonaventura, Psalterium
B. V. Marine.

Periods covered by indulgences would vary at different
times. When the ecclesiastic who wrote this part of the play
was writing, a man was saved from 10, 800 years of Purgatory
for saying the Lady's Psalter once a day for one year.

176-179. Med. 5 : ' O qualis domus, qualis camera, qualis
lectus, in qua et quo pariter commorantur et requiescunt
tales matres talibus filiis foecundatae, Maria et Elisabeth,
Jesus et Joannes. Sunt et ibi magnifici senes, scilicet Zacha-
rias et Joseph.'

185. The Benedictus, Zachary's song of thanksgiving, is
found in Luke 1. 68-79. It is still part of the Church Service
for Morning Prayer.

Notes, Coventry Nativity (IV) 257

186-187. Med. 5: 'Et sic in domo ilia haec duo cantica
pulcherrima, scilicet Magnificat et Benedictus, facta fuerunt.'

188-191. Med. 5 : 'Tandem valefaciens Elisabeth et Zach-
arias, ac benedicens Joanni, redit ad domum suae habitationis
in Nazareth.'

191. Med. 5 : ' Ipsa laetanter colludebatur eidem, et oscula-
batur jucunde.'

COVENTRY NATIVITY (IV).
In the Prologue to the Cycle, Secundus Vexillator says:

In the xv pagent shewe we shal

How Joseph went withoute varyauns

ffor mydwyuys to helpe oure lady at alle,
Of childe that she had delyverauns.

3-4. Luke 2. 1 ; Protev. 17 ; Pseudo-Matt. 13 ; Hist. Jos. 7.
In all these the Emperor is called Augustus, not Octavian,
so that perhaps our author is following the French Mystery
terminology, rather than Scripture.

23 ff. This legend is adapted from one in Pseudo-Matt. 20,
where on the flight to Egypt Christ commands a palm tree
to bow to his mother, who desires the fruit.

Hone (Ancient Mysteries, p. 90) gives a parallel to this
legend in an old Christmas carol:

Joseph was an old man,

And an old man was he,
And he married Mary,

Queen of Galilee.

When Joseph was married

And his cousin Mary got,
Mary proved big with child,

By whom Joseph knew not.
As Joseph and Mary

Walked through the garden gay,
Where the cherries they grew

Upon every tree;

R

258 Notes, Coventry Nativity (IV)

O then bespoke Mary

With words both meek and mild,

4 Gather me some cherries, Joseph,
They run so in my mind,

Gather me some cherries,
For I am with child.'

0 then bespoke Joseph
With words most unkind,

1 Let him gather thee cherries

That got thee with child.'

0 then bespoke Jesus,

All in his mother's womb,

1 Go to the tree, Mary,

And it shall bow down.
Go to the tree, Mary,

And it shall bow to thee,
And the highest branch of all

Shall bow down to Mary's kne.

'And she shall gather cherries

By one, by two, by three;
Now you may see, Joseph,

Those cherries were for me.
O, eat your cherries, Mary,

O, eat your cherries now,
O, eat your cherries, Mary,

That grow on the bough.'

48-51. Cf. C. I, 328-330, and note. Also see the ref
erence to the relationship of Mary and Joseph in the second
stanza of the carol just quoted.

56 ff. A parallel to the citizen is Zebel in the Mir. d. I.
Nat., who meets Mary and Joseph upon their arrival in
Bethlehem, guides them to the stable, and stays with Mary
while Joseph goes for another midwife.

73—74. Joseph's meekness seems to have been prover
bial ; there is no specific instance of it in Scripture, but it
seems to have been recognised as a general characteristic.
Cf. Y. I, 103-104.

83. Cf. note on Ch. I, 456-463.

After 124, stage-direction. Pseudo-Matt. 13, two manuscripts
read: 'lam enim Nativitas Domini advenerat, et Joseph
perrexerat quaerere obstetrices.'

Notes, Coventry Nativity (IV) 259

137 ff. Zelomi and Salome are the names of the mid-
wives as recorded in Pseudo-Matt, and the Protev. (Cf. Ch. I,
528, note.)

161-166. Prot. 19 : ' And they stood in the place where
the cave was, and a bright cloud overshadowed the cave.'
Cf. C. H, 15-16, and note on 11. 172 if.

172-308. Although in general the accounts in the Protev.
and in Pseudo-Matt, are alike, in detail they differ quite con
siderably. C. follows Pseudo-Matt, closely ; the parallels are
given in the following notes. The account in the Protev.
is in chaps. 19 and 20.

172-176. Pseudo-Matt. 13: 'Et dixit Joseph ad Mariam,
"Ego tibi Zelomi et Salomen obstetrices adduxi, quae foris
ante speluncam stant et prae splendore nimio hue introire
non audent." ' Cf. also note on 11. 161-162.

After 176, stage-direction. Pseudo-Matt. 13 :' Audiens autem
haec Maria subrisit.'

181 ff. Pseudo-Matt. 13 : ' Cui Joseph dixit, " Noli subridere,
sed cauta esto, ne forte indigeas medicina." '

209. In the Protev. and in Pseudo-Matt., Salome waits
outside.

217. Pseudo-Matt. 13 :' Cumque ingressa esset Zelomi, dixit
ad Mariam, "Dimitte me ut tangam te." '

225 ff. Pseudo-Matt. 13: 'Cumque permisisset se Maria
tangi, exclamavit voce magna obstetrix et dixit, "Domine,
Domine magne, miserere. Nunquam hoc auditum est nee
in suspicione habitum, ut mamillae plenae sint lacte et natus
masculus matrem suam virginem ostendat. Nulla pollutio
sanguinis facta est in nascente, nullus dolor in parturiente.
Virgo concepit, virgo peperit, virgo permansit." '

245-276. Pseudo-Matt. 13: 'Audiens hanc vocem alia ob
stetrix, nomine Salome, dixit, " Quod ego audio non credam
nisi forte ipsa probavero." Et ingressa Salome ad Mariam
dixit, "Permitte me ut palpam te et probem utrum verum
dixerit Zelomi." Cumque Maria permisisset, misit Salome
manum suam. Et cum misisset et tangeret, statim aruit
manus, et prae dolore coepit flere vehementissime et angu-
stari et clamando dicere. "Domine, tu nosti quia semper

R2

260 Notes, Coventry Shepherds (V)

te timui, et omnes pauperes sine retributione acceptionis
(sic) curavi, de vidua et orphano nihii accepi, et inopem vacuum
a me ire nunquam dimisi. Et ecce misera facta sum propter
incredulitatem meam, quia ausa fui temptare virginem
tuam." '

277—308. Pseudo-Matt. 13 : ' Cumque haec diceret, apparuit
iuxta illam iuvenis quidam valde splendidus dicens ei, u Ac
cede ad infantem et adora eum et continge de manu tua,
et ipse salvabit te, quia ipse est salvator seculi et omnium
sperantium in se." QuaB ad infantem confestim accessit, et
adorans eum tetigit fimbrias pannorum, in quibus infans erat
involutus, et statim sanata est manus eius. Et exiens foras
clamare ccepit et dicere magnalia virtutum quae viderat et
quae passa fuerat, et quemadmodum curata fuerat, ita ut ad
praedicationem eius multi crederent.'

COVENTRY SHEPHERDS (V).

In the Prologue to the Cycle, Tertius Vexillator says :

In the xvj pagent cryst shal be born,

Of that joy aungelys shul synge,
And telle the shepherdys in that morn

The blysseful byrth of that kyng.
The shepherdys shal come hym befforn

With reverens and with worchepyng,
ffor he shal savyn that was forlorn,

And graunt us lyff evyr more lestyng

Iwys.

This gle in grythe
Is mater of myrthe ;
Now crystys byrthe

Bryng us to his blys.

Notice the inaccuracy in the first line of this prologue.
This may have been written to go with an earlier Shep
herds' play in which the birth of Christ did occur, or it
may be merely that from its origin in the liturgical drama
the Shepherd play stands in general for the Christmas play,
and the writer of the Prologue is referring to it, generally,
as such.

Notes, Coventry Shepherds 261

5—6. A decided digression, another indication of the
ecclesiastical origin of this cycle. Peter Lombard (d. 1164)
was the first to enumerate and define the seven sacra
ments (Sententia, Lib. 4). They are : Baptism, Confirmation,
The Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Ordination, Matri
mony. They were formally recognized by the Church of
Rome at the Council of Florence in 1439.

10-12. If this was written after the Mercy and Peace
Prologue to C. I, it is strange that, although mention is
made of the Redemption and of Peace, we find here no
real echoes of the preceding discussion.

26-60. Cf. Y. I, 1-132, and note. This prophetic passage
inserted into the Shepherd Play shows a late developement
of the Augustinian sermon. It is entirely unlike the Cov
entry Prophet Play, Daniel being the only prophet that
appears in both. This combination of the two chief el
ements in the development of the Christmas play (see In
troduction p. xii) is most interesting. The shepherds also
repeat prophecies in T. Ill, 332-403 (see also note), and
T. IV, 674-682.

26-29. See Y. Ill, 99-105, and note; Y. IV, 14 ff.

32-37. No such Scriptural prophecy.

38-45. See 11. 26-29, and note.

46-49. Referring perhaps to Amos 9. 13; cf. Y. I, 17 ff.,
and note. Amos follows Moses in the Rouen Liturgical Play,
the Festum Asinorum, with the words: 'Ecce dies veniet,'
from the same verse. See Y. I, 15, note.

56. This line of the prophecy is perhaps from Daniel 7.
13. The rest seems to be originally conceived. Cf. C. I, 9.

70-77, and stage-direction. Cf. Ch. II, 442-447, and note.

After 77. Stella cceli extirpavit. This hymn was apparently
very little known. It is mentioned in Chevalier's Reper-
torium merely as a hymn occurring in some 17th and 18th
century French Missals, as a part of the service at the Feast
of the Immaculate Conception. MacCracken's Lydgate Canon
gives evidence of a certain popularity of the hymn in
England, by mentioning a translation of it by Lydgate.

262 Notes, Coventry Shepherds (V)

He says (p.xxv) : ' " Stella cell extirpauit."

Beg. Thow hevenly quene of grace, our lode-
sterre— 4 stanzas of 8 lines. MSS. Harley 2251 ; Addit.
34360 ; Harley 2255 [the italics mean that Lydgate is referred
to as translator]: Trin Coll. Camb. R. 3. 21; Jesus Coll.
Camb. 56. Rawl. C. 48 has an altered version which may
be due to Lydgate.' See Introd. p. xxxvii.

80-85. Cf. Ch. II, 358-435, and note.

81 and 85. These lines must be closely related to Ch.
II, 382, 384, 388 etc.

99 if. Taylor (Modern Philology, July 1907, p. 4) says :
' The most highly conventional form of address to Christ [in
Middle English poetry] is the Hail Jesus, a prayer in which
oftentimes every line begins with this formula.' See note
on T. Ill, 458 if. ; also Ch. II, 552 if., T. IV, 710 if. Notice
here the abrupt but highly eifective salutation, as compared
with the gossip in Ch. II, 480 if. Notice also the absence
of presents and requests for favor, which appear in all the
other Shepherd Plays.

119—126. This idea of the shepherds preaching comes
from Luke 2. 17—18, probably through the medium of the
liturgical plays, which always include it. Cf. Ch. n, 651-684.

127 if. For the vogue of the farewell lyric in Middle
English, see Taylor's article, quoted above. The other
Shepherd plays close with a single farewell speech.

YORK PROPHETS, ETC. (I)

1—144. A marginal note in the MS. at 1. 1 says : ' Doctor,
this matter is newly made, wherof we have no coppy.'
Miss Smith, the editor of the York Plays, says that this
note is in a 16th century hand. 'This matter' was probably
introduced as a transition from the Old Testament to the
New Testament plays, because the Play of the Prophets,
so popular in other cycles, is lacking in Y. ; cf. Ch. 5;
C. 7 ; T. 7.

Sepet (Bibliotheque de I'Ecole des Charles, 38. 398) shows,
from the Munich liturgical play, that at an early date the

Notes, York Prophets etc. (I) 263

liturgical Prophet play became combined with the older
Adoration and Magi liturgical plays, forming one long liturg
ical drama on the Nativity. Plays in the vernacular also
show this combination; cf. Mist. d. I. Nat. The appearance
of prophecies in our Shepherd plays (particularly the version
in T. Ill, 332 ff.) is significant, as showing the combination
in the oldest type of vernacular mystery play.

1—132. In relation to this long prologue of the prophets
we must consider the Plays of the Prophets, upon which it
is modeled. Their origin and development have been
most comprehensively treated by M. Sepet in five articles
in the Bibliotheque de FEcole des Chartes, (28. 1, 211 ; 29.
105, 261; 38. 397). The origin of the plays is a pseudo-
Augustinian sermon Contra Judceos, Paganos, et Arianos,
(Migne, Pair. Lat. 42. 1117). This sermon was read in the
churches at Christmas time, and is of such form as to lend
itself naturally to dramatic representation. Augustine calls
upon the prophets to testify, for the Jews, to the divinity
of Christ. One after another is called upon; they reply
with their prophecies in the following order: Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Daniel. Moses, David, Habakkuk ; then, from the New Testa
ment, Simeon, Zachary, Elizabeth, John the Baptist; and
finally, from the heathen, Nebuchadnezzar, Virgil and the
Erythraean Sibyl.

This sermon appears again and again in almost countless
forms. The earliest adaptation seems to be in a rimed Latin
dialogue, used at Saint Martial de Limoges. This follows
the sermon quite closely, but introduces a new prophet,
Israel. Sepet points out, however, that Israel is mentioned
in the sermon in Jeremiah's prophecy, 'dedit enim Jacob
puero suo et Israel dilecto suo.' After the introduction of
Israel it was natural to include Abraham, Isaac, and soon
even Adam and Eve. Thus from the sermon of Augustine
developed all our Old Testament dramas.

It is not our purpose here to trace the general develop
ment of the Prophet play, but merely to show that there
is conclusive evidence as to the origin of such passages as
this, and to try to show in the succeeding notes the devel-

264 Notes, York Prophets etc. (I)

opment of the sermon into the form in which we find it
here.

It must be remembered that the author of this prologue
was in all probability following some other late mediaeval
version, and not the real Scriptural prophecies, nor even
the sermon. Moreover, this prologue, having been written
in the 16th century, represents a late and complex form of
the sermon; this is most clearly shown by the omission of
all the chief prophets of the early versions, except Isaiah
whose prophecy is quoted in Matthew, and is probably the
source of the original sermon.

The Prophet plays in the other English cycles are much
closer to the sermon. The prophecy of Habakkuk included
in the sermon is found in this cycle in the Nativity Play,
Y. Ill, 136 if.

1—12. This explanation of the cause of the coming of
Christ is probably suggested to the 16th-century author by
the introductory lines to T. I, which, in turn, may have
been suggested by the first part of C. I.

15. Amos first appears in the Rouen Festum Asinorum
(see Du Cange, Glossarmm), which is really a liturgical drama
on the prophets, and derives its name from the presence of
Balaam's ass. Amos' prophecy there consists merely of the
words, ' Ecce dies veniunt,' takenfrom Amos 9. 13. His prophecy
is second, following that of Moses. See C. V, 46-49, note.

Amos also appears, this time as first prophet, in the Mist.
d. 1. Nat., p. 12. He there says:

J'ay en mon cuer ja pieca mis
Une merveille que je vous diray,
Vous savez bien et c'est tout vray,
Et hoc scio ita esse,
De la ligniee de Jesse
Une vierge sy doit issir,
Et celle vierge doit flourir,
Et apres tel fruit portera
Qui le peuple confortera.

17 if. No such prophecy in Amos. In the Augustinian
sermon. Ps. 73. 12 is quoted just before the prophecy of

Notes, York Prophets etc. (I) 265

Isaiah ; this reads : ' Operatus est salutem in medio terrae.'
The confusion may have arisen through the fact of Amos'
being first prophet in some versions, and this being the
first prophecy in others. There are similar passages in Ps.
97. 3 and Isa. 52. 10, but I see no reason for connecting
either of them with Amos.

25-30. St. Bernard (Migne, Pair. Lat. 183. 66), under the
heading ' Quare " virginem desponsatam " ? ' writes : ' Oporte-
bat autem a principe mundi aliquamdiu celari divini consilii
sacramentum: non quod Deus, si palam opus suum facere
vellet, impediri posse ab illo metueret, sed quia ipse, qui
non solum potenter, sed etiam sapienter quaecunque voluit
fecit. . . . Placuit ei tamen eo potius et modo et ordine
hominem sibi reconciliare, quo noverat cecidisse : ut sicut
diabolus prius seduxit feminam, et postmodum virum per
feminam vicit, ita prius a femina virgine seduceretur, et
post a viro Christo aperte debellaretur.' This is the second
reason St. Bernard gives, the first being the common one
that it was necessary to save Mary from being stoned as
an adulteress.

In the York Harrowing of Hell we have the same
idea. In 11. 249-252 Christ, addressing Satan, says:

Mi godhede here I hidde
In Mary modir myne,
For it shoulde not be kidde
To the nor to none of thine.

Also Cursor Mundi 11. 10783 ff.

And thar is resuns written sere
Quar-for godd wald sco spused were.
The first the feind suld noght perceiue
That a maiden suld consaiue,
For had he ani-wais ouertaine
A child be born of a maiden,
Ne had he neuer giuen his rede
That iesus crist war don to dede,
for wel he wald ha witen than
that he suld haf saued man.

Cf. Ch. II, 524-527.
St. Augustine, Sermo CXCIII De Annuntiatione (Migne,

266 Notes, York Prophets etc. (I)

Pair. Lat. 39. 2103) says that Christ took upon him the
form of man to deceive the devil.

33 ff. Abraham appears as first prophet in the Old French
Mistere cPAdam (ed. Palustre, p. 110). He repeats the same
verse from Gen. 22. 18 as here.

Sepet's theory that all the Old Testament plays are merely
outgrowths from the Prophet play is well illustrated by
the Abraham plays in England. In the Chester Sacrifice
of Isaac, for example, we find not merely the promise of
many descendants to Abraham, but also this very prophecy.
God says to Abraham, Ch. 4, 174-176 :

Kingis of thie seed men shall see,
And one childe of great degree
All mankind shall forbye.

Later, 11. 205-208, the Expositor explains:

And one seede, mankinde to forby,
that was Jhesus Christ witterlye,
for of his kinde was our lady
and so also was he.

40 ff. This prayer is Isaac's, not Abraham's. It is from
Gen. 27. 28, where Isaac is blessing Jacob by mistake ; it
is in no way a prophecy, but merely an individual blessing
upon Jacob. Isaac says :

'Det tibi Deus de rore cseli et de pinguedineterrae abun-
dantiam frumenti et vini.'

This blessing appears in T. 5, 8 ff., and there is no indi
cation that it is considered as a prophecy there. Indeed
the adaptation of this blessing seems to be quite original
with the author of Y.

57—58. Isaiah 7. 14. According to the text it is still
Abraham who gives all these following prophecies. It is
difficult to account for such carelessness and inaccuracy of
reference. Possibly the author, in copying some Prophet
play, failed to notice the assignment of parts, generally
written in the margin so as not to interfere with the text,
and wrote steadily along, paraphrasing or translating the
text. Such an error was made by Halliwell in his edition
of the Coventry Plays-, see C. II, 67, Variants.

Notes, York Prophets etc. (I) 267

61 ff. This prophecy, the most definite of all, is found in
almost every account of the birth of Christ from the Gospel
of Matthew down. It is the only prophecy in this prologue
which is in the Augustinian sermon. It is found in Isa. 7. 14.

In the Mist. d. 1. Nat., p. 43, Sartan relates these pro
phecies to Cesar. He says:

Dont nous trouvons en Ysaie
Qui disoit en sa prophetic
Ecce Virgo concipiet
Atque filium pariet.
Veez-cy, la Vierge concevra
Un filz et sy le portera,
Celuy sera le bien eslire,
Et le bien du mal contredire.
Emmanuel nomme sera,
Lez bonz et mauvaiz jugera.
En un autre lieu est escript,
Et ne le tenez pas en despit,
Que de 1'arbre Jesse vendra
Une verge qui florira.

65-70. Isaiah 9. 7.

75-80. Isaiah 11. 1-2, 'Egredietur virga de Jesse et flos
de radice eius ascendet. Et requiescat super eum spiritus
Domini.' This prophecy supplanted the Ecce Virgo in the
St. Martial liturgical play. It is part of the Christmas liturgy,
and its addition to the other is quite natural.

In the Coventry Play of the Prophets we find this proph
ecy following the Ecce Virgo, as follows:

A blyssyd braunche shal sprynge of me,
That shal be swettere than bawmys brethe;
Out of that braunche in Nazareth
A floure shall blome of me, Jesse rote,
The which by grace shal destroye dethe,
And brynge mankinde to blysse most sote.

85-91. Not Joel, but Hosea 14. 6. The quotation should
be, ' Ero quasi ros, Israel germinabit sicut lilium.' The proph
ecy of Joel in most of the plays is from Joel 2. 28, ' Ef-
fundam spiritum meum super omnem carnem.' Cf. the
Coventry Play of the Prophets, and the Chester Balaam and
Balak.

268 Notes, York Joseph (II)

113—118. It is rather remarkable that this very direct
prophecy from Gen. 49. 10 should not appear elsewhere in
the Prophet plays.

123—124. This prophecy from Mark 1. 2 is quoted there
from Malachi 3. 1, although attributed by Mark to Isaiah.
The similar passage from Luke 1. 76, ' Tu puer propheta
Altissimi vocaberis ; praeibis enim ante faciem Domini parare
vias suas,' is quoted in the Augustinian sermon, and is the
prophecy of Zacharias.

129-132. Matt. 3. 11. A similar prophecy is given to
John the Baptist in the sermon, where the author quotes Mark
1. 7, and Luke 3.16: ;Ecce venit post me de cujus pedibus
non sum ego dignus solvere corrigiam calceamenti ejus.'

132-192. A remarkably close paraphrase of Luke 1. 26-28.
The author acknowledges his source in 1. 134, and seems to
have made use of no other. For the Scriptural text, see
notes on Ch. I, 1 if.

144. Miss Smith, editor of the York Cycle, notes that
after the prologue the rest of the piece seems to be irreg
ular in the arrangement of the 6- and 8-syllable lines.
Kolbing, in Englische Studien 21. 162—176, suggests many
rather absurd emendations to make them all 8-syllable lines.
See Variants.

177-184. Cf. Ch. I, 27-40, note; C. I, 249-257; T. I,
125-142.

193—204. This is the first break from the account in
Luke 1. Lines 193—196 are apparently original, and 197—204
a sort of improvisation on Luke 1. 40.

205-216. Paraphrase of Luke 1. 42-43.

217—224. Another rather inartistic and useless insertion.
It is probably introduced to make a break in Elizabeth's
speech, for in 1. 225 she proceeds as in Luke.

225-240. Luke 1. 45-47. Notice that only the first two
verses of the Magnificat are translated, and then comes the
stage-direction : ' Tune cantant Magnificat.' The verb in the
plural would show that they sang it antiphonally as in C. Ill,
and in the liturgical play on the Visitation (see Introd. p. xiii).

Notes, York Joseph (II) 269

YORK JOSEPH (II).

1 ff. Taylor (Mod. Phil. July 1907, p. 6) suggests that this
and similar passages in the Mysteries were definitely in
fluenced by the popular Middle English ' Complaints ' of old
men. He does not present, and I have been unable to dis
cover, any direct influence, but it is doubtless true that they
belong to the same type of literature ; the full bibliography
that he gives is interesting for comparative study. A typical
specimen of the ' Old Man's Complaint ' is in Anglia 3. 279 ff.

25—34. This account of the choice of Joseph as husband
to the Virgin is in the Protev. 8, 9 ; Pseudo-Matt. 8 ; and
De Nat. Mar. 7, 8. Only in the latter, however, is the
flowering of the rods mentioned. In the others a dove
descends. The De Nat. Mar. interprets the flowering of
the rod as a fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah : * A rod
shall go forth out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall
arise from his root.' Isa. 11. 1. Cf. Cursor Mundi 10. 774:
'With leaf and flower they found it green.'

In Giotto's fresco in Padua of the Marriage of the Virgin,
there are both the flowering rod and the descent of the
dove. In Raphael's Lo Sposalizio, at the Brera in Milan,
the dove does not appear.

Cf. T. I, 227-268, also C. 10.

32. In C. 10 the rod blossoms, and the ' Holy Ghost sits
on the bough.'

49-50. In the Apocryphal Gospels (Protev. 15, 16; Pseudo-
Matt. 12), Mary's pregnancy is discovered by the priest,
and Mary and Joseph are brought to trial for transgressing
the law of Israel. They are acquitted, however, when after
drinking the ' water of cursing ' there are no ill effects. This
material is used in a very coarse play in the Coventry Cycle
on the trial of Joseph and Mary, C. 14. For * water of curs
ing,' see Numbers 5. 17.

57 ff. Concerning Joseph's determination not to run away,
see note to C. II, 59 ff.

61-62. Germanus (Migne, Patr. Lat. 72. 325) : ' Mary, "Is
it not written in the prophets that a virgin shall conceive

270 Notes, York Nativity (III)

and bear a son ?" ' This is perhaps the most significant par
allel to the dialogues in the Church Fathers; see note on
C. II, 25 if.

72—73. In the Cursor Mundi Joseph makes a long lament,
similar to the one here, and then also determines to ' stele
awaye ' without seeing Mary.

76. Puella. See note on C. II, 3.

81. A charming anachronism, and a favorite representa
tion of the Virgin in mediaeval art. Cf. Raphael's Madonna
of the Goldfinch.

92 if. See note on C. II, 25 if.

136-137. See note on C. II, 71 if.

200-201. Joseph is in danger of punishment for breaking
his vow to keep Mary a virgin. Cf. note on 11. 49—50.

231-236. See 11. 202-208, and cf. C. II, 127-136.

294-298. Cf. C. II, 184-188.

YORK NATIVITY (III).

1. Beginning in mediis rebus-, no introductory description
of the edict irom Augustus and the trip to Bethlehem, as
in the other plays. The eifect is not satisfactory, however,
for no connection with what has gone before is implied,
and the spectators' knowledge of the story is relied upon
to fill in the gaps.

14. Again following Luke and the liturgical drama, instead
of the Apocryphal Gospels, which make the stable only a
cave by the roadside.

18. The roof is ruined by rain.

43-44. Mist. d. I Nat. p. 60:

Nostre-Dame : Joseph, se Diex vous puist secourir.
Alez bien tost du feu querir.

Joseph : Volontiers j'yray du feu prendre
En 1'hostel de ce marichal.

57 if. Cf. C. V, 90 if., note.

71. Cf. in T. IV, 1 this idea of English Christmas weather.

Notes, York Nativity (111) 27 1

78. The light appears in both Apocryphal Gospels and
in C. IV, 172. Notice here the extraordinary absence of
the midwives, showing not only the author's independence
of the Apocryphal Gospels, but also of the liturgical Christ
mas plays. It is more probable that this author was working
directly on the Scriptural account than that any of the others
were.

84 ff. Notice the naturalness and simple beauty of this
scene, and its great superiority to the Nativity-scenes in
the other cycles, where we have philosophical reasoning
about the virgin birth, and the long description of Salome's
doubt, punishment, and forgiveness. This scene is the Y.
dramatist's high-water mark.

99-105. The prophecy of Balaam is in Numbers 24. 17:
'There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall
rise out of Israel.' There is no reference to a child born of
a maiden, as our text would imply. This prophecy plays
a most important part in the development of the religious
drama. It was first introduced in the Rouen Prophet Play
(see note on Y. I, 15), the Festum Asinorunt. The ass,
lending a comic element to the play, became very popular,
and many Balaam plays developed in the liturgical as well
as in the vernacular drama. An English example is the
fifth play of the Chester Cycle (cf. C. V, 26-29; Y. IV,
14 ff.). Ch. 5, 289-304:

Balaam-. Now one thing will I tell you all
hereafter what shall befall:
a starre of Jacob springe shall,
a man of Israel.

He -shall overcome and have in band
all kinges, dukes of strang land,
and all the world have in his hand
as lord to dight and deale.

Esayas: I saye a mayden meeke and mylde
shall conceave and bear a childe,
cleane without workes wilde,
to wyn mankinde to wele.

272 Notes, York Shepherds (IV)

These two prophecies are confused and both attributed
to Balaam in this play, probably because they were often
quoted together, as in Ch. Isaiah's prophecy is in Isa. 7.
14 ff. Cf. Y. I, 61-68.

136—140. A misreading ofHabakkuk 3. 2, in the Alexan
drine version, quoted in Pseudo-Matt. 13 as 'in medio anima-
lium ' instead of ' in medio annorum.' The misreading is
also quoted in the Augustinian Sermo contra Judceos. The
ox and the ass became known as the animals referred to
because of Isa. 1. 3: 'The ox doth know his owner and the
ass his master's crib.' This is also quoted in Pseudo-Matt. 13.

The widespread popularity of this version, probably due
to its being included in Pseudo-Matt., is attested by the
countless number of ancient and modern paintings of the
scene in the stable in which the ox and ass appear.

YORK SHEPHERDS (IV).

The first part of this play lacks all the charm that the
last part, 11. 86—130, possesses. The author seems to ramble
on for a long time before he strikes his gait.

5-12. Why these two prophets are chosen to represent
the rest is not clear. There is no such prophecy in Hosea.
Cf. note on Y. I, 85-91.

14 ff. The prophecy of Balaam, appearing again in the
Shepherd Play. Cf. C. V, 26-29 ; Y. Ill, 99-195, and note.

34. flitte. An appropriate word; one meaning being to
shift a tethered animal, or to move a sheepcote.

60-64. Cf. Ch. II, 358-435, and note.

81. Cf. Ch. II, 300, note.

82-85. Cf. Ch. II, 442-447, and note.

86. From here on the style, structure, and spirit of the
play seem to improve. The presentation of gifts is very
good in its homely realism, and affords a good contrast with
the more dignified scene in the Coventry Shepherd Play,

94. Cf. Y. Ill, 136-140, and note.

Notes, Towneley Annunciation (I) 273

103. Cf. Ch. II, 559, and note. The meaning of this line
has caused much discussion, and given rise to many un
necessary emendations ; see Variants. I see no reason against
reading it as it stands, its meaning being * A poor (or mere)
brooch with (or and) a tin bell.'

105-107. Cf. Ch. II, 560, and note.

114-118. Cf. Ch. II, 560, and note.

124. Cf. Ch. H, 571-572.

TOWNELEY ANNUNCIATION (I).

1—52. Another introductory passage on the reason for
the Incarnation : man has lain years in the pains of hell be
cause of Adam's sin ; to save him God must send his Son
to earth to suffer for man, so that the redemption may be
'wyth reson and wyth right,' as well as 'through mercy
and through might ' (11. 19—20), thus suggesting at least the
fundamental element of the Coventry Mercy and Peace,
Righteousness and Truth prologue ; cf. C. I.

In 11. 40-52 the prophet element is introduced, and com
bined with the other. This prologue is therefore typical of
two of the popular elements in the Christmas plays.

9-15. Cf. in C. M. Gayley's Plays of our Forefathers the
chapter on * Oil of Mercy.'

The ultimate source of this idea is in the Gospel of Nico-
demus 19: 'Seth dixit: . . . "Ego, Seth, cum essem orans
dominum ad portas paradisi, ecce angelus domini Michael
apparuit mihi dicens 'Ego missus sum ad te a domino. . . .
Tibi dico enim, Seth, noli laborari lacrimis orando et depre-
cando propter oleum ligni misericordiae, ut perungas patrem
tuum Adam pro dolore corporis sui, quia nullo modo poteris
ex eo accipere nisi in novissimis diebus et temporibus, nisi
quando completi fuerint quinque milia et quingenti anni;
tune veniet super terram amantissimus Dei filius ad resus-
citandum corpus Adae et corpora mortuorum, et ipse veniens
in Jordane baptizabitur. Cum autem egressus fuerit de aqua
Jordanis, tune de oleo misericordiae suae unget omnes cre-

S

274 Notes, Towneley Annunciation (I)

dentes in se, et erit oleum illud misericordiae in generationem
eorum qui nascendi sunt ex aqua et spiritu sancto in vitam
eternam. Tune descendens in terras amantissimus Dei films
Christus Jesus introducet patrem nostrum Adam in paradisum
ad arborem misericordiae.' " '

Cf. for similar versions of this legend Cursor Mundi and
the South English Legendary (EETS. 87), part 10, 11. 131 if.

Several of the later plays are taken from the Gospel of
Nicodemus.

12. Cf. preceding note. Evidently from the figures in
the Gospel of Nicodemus, rather than from any of the count
less mediaeval computations; see note on C. I, 1.

32-34. St. Chrysostom (Migne, Patr. Gr. 52. 768) : ' Pro-
Eva Maria, pro ligno scientiae boni et mali lignum crucis,
pro morte Adami mors Domini.' The idea of Christ as a
second Adam goes back to St. Paul, I Corinthians 15.45;,
for the idea of Mary as a second Eve, see note on C. I, 217 ;
the 'tree for tree' comes from the Gospel of Nicodemus 24,,
where Christ, in harrowing hell, says: 'Come with me all
ye who have died through the tree which Adam touched.
For behold, I raise you up through the tree of the cross/
This does not appear in the MS. which is the basis of the
Tischendorf edition of the Gospel of Nicodemus, but is given
in the variants. I quote from Cowper's translation. Cf,
the Middle English translation of the Gospel of Nicodemus,
11. 1471-1476 (EETS. Ex. Ser. 100).

41-51. The patriarchs and prophets, at least through
Jeremiah, seem to follow in some recognized regular orderr
or at least in the same order in which they appear in the
Old Testament plays and Plays of the Prophets in the Eng
lish cycles. In the Coventry Plays we have a Play of
Abraham, followed by a Play of Moses and the Ten Com
mandments, followed by a Prophet Play, in which the first
three prophets are Isaiah, David, Jeremiah ; cf. C. 5, 6, 7.
In the Chester Plays, Abraham and Moses come in order, then
the Balaam Play is introduced, followed by prophecies of
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and David. In this cycle, T., the order is.
Abraham, Moses, David, and the Sibyl.

Notes, Towneley Annunciation (I) 275

41. For the prophecy of Abraham, see Y. I, 33 ff., and
note.

47. The prophecy of Moses is from Deut. 18. 15, 19
(misquoted in T. 7, 1-4): 'Prophetam de gente tua et de
fratribus tuis sicut me, suscitabit tibi Dominus Deus tuus:
ipsum audies . . . Qui autem verba eius audire noluerit ego
ultor existam.' The 'nemo propheta' of T. 7, 4 is from
Mark 6. 4.

For the prophecies of Isaiah, see Y. I, 61 ff.

48. David's prophecies as given in the Towneley Pro
phet Play are : ' Omnes reges adorabunt eum, omnes gentes
seruient eum', and * Ostende nobis misericordiam tuam et
salutare tuum da nobis.'

The prophecy of Jeremiah, according to the Augustinian
sermon, is from the Book of Baruch 3. 36, 38: 'Hie est
Deus noster, et non aestimabitur alius absque illo, qui invenit
omnem viam scientiae, et dedit earn Jacob puero suo et
Israel dilecto suo. Post haec in terris visus est, et cum ho-
minibus conversatus est.' According to Ch. 5, 329, however,
the prophecy is from Jer. 14. 17: 'Deducunt oculi mei lacri-
mas, etc.,' thus perhaps showing a relation in the origin of
the Coventry prologue to the Annunciation ; cf. C. I, 25, and
the Prophet Plays.

49. The prophecy of Habakkuk, as given in the Augus
tinian sermon, is from Hab. 3. 2 : ' Domine, audivi auditum
tuum et timui; consideravi opera tua, Domine, et expavi.
In medio duorum animalium cognosceris.' For the misreading
in the last sentence, see note on Y. HI, 136-140.

The prophecy of Daniel, according to the sermon, and
also as given in T. 7, 217, is from Dan. 9. 24: 'Cum venerit
Sanctus sanctorum cessabit unctio vestra.' The passage really
reads: 'Finem accipiat peccatum, et deleatur iniquitas et
adducatur iustitia sempiterna et impleatur visio et prophetia,
et ungatur Sanctus sanctorum.'

50. This cycle is the only English one in which the Sibyl's
famous prophecy is introduced. (This, the Erythraean Sibyl,
to be distinguished from the Tiburtine Sibyl in Ch. I.) Her
prophecy is the last one in the Augustinian sermon, and is

S2

276 Notes, Towneley Annunciation (I)

an acrostic, the initial letters of each line spelling: '
XQiCrog, Oeov Yibq, S&TfjQ.

The first three lines, translated into Latin, are quoted in
the Prophet Play of this cycle :

Judicii signum, tellus sudore madescet,
E celo rex adveniet per saecla futurus,
Scilicet in carne praesens ut judicat orbem.

This prophecy originated in Book 8, 11. 217-250 of the
so-called Oracula Sibyllina, supposedly by Sibylla Erythraea,
but actually composed in, probably, the 2nd century. Augus
tine quotes it in De Civ. Dei 18. 23. See note on Ch. I,
304-375, where Martinus attributes this prophecy to the
Tiburtine Sibyl.

53—60. The beginning of the play proper, very close to
C. I, 187-194; also cf. Y. I, 135-149. All from Luke 1.
26-27.

61—64. A favorite comparison among the Church Fathers,
growing naturally out of the idea of Mary as a second Eve ;
cf. note on 11. 32—34, and see chaps. 1 and 2 of Livius, The
Blessed Virgin in the Fathers.

70. This idea of Mary's conceiving Christ through the
word of the angel is often compared with Eve's conceiving
sin through the word of the serpent; cf. 11. 61-64, note.

77-154. The most elaborate paraphrase that we have of
Luke 1. 28—38, although the Coventry Annunciation is longer,
as it introduces much extraneous theological material. Com
pared with the simple and natural account in Ch. and Y.,
this seems rather forced and weak.

119-124. Cf. C. I, 247-248, and note.

125-142. Cf. Ch. 8, 27-40, notes ; C. I, 249-257 ; Y. I,
177-184.

155—173. This version of the Joseph Play is the best one
we have. It is worked out in detail, as it is not in Ch.,
it lacks the formlessness and much repetition of the C. play,
and has far better dramatic structure than the Y. play. The
material is much the same as that of the Y. play, and was
probably taken from it ; but the dramatist has succeeded in
getting good effect by plunging in medias res, and then

Notes, Towneley Annunciation (I) 277

most naturally making Joseph recall aloud to himself how
he met Mary, how he was chosen to be her husband, and
how happily they have lived together. Joseph shows a
deep love and gentle consideration for Mary, which are very
charming after the anger and coarseness of the C. and Y.
Joseph Plays. Cf. Ch. I, 123 ff. ; C. II, 25 ff. ; Y. II, 92 if.

159. Hohlfeld (Anglia 11. 254) gives a series of parallel
passages between Y. and T. in the Joseph Plays. I shall
hereafter merely give the reference to the parallel in Y.,
without always quoting Hohlfeld's name. The parallel here
is Y. II, 106.

169. Cf. Y. II, 197.

180, 181. Cf. Y. II, 92, 292.

185-195. Cf. Ch. I, 124-136, and note on 123-176; C. II,
36-48, and note on 25 ff. ; Y. II, 103-108.

186-187. Hohlfeld gives as a parallel Y. U, 158-159. This
is hardly significant, however, for cf. C. n, 36-38, 42, 47-48.

195. Cf. Y. H, 103, but see also note on 186-187.

204-205. Cf. Y. H, 189, but see also C. II, 39, 40.

226-227. Notice the clever transition to the story of their
betrothal.

227-268. Cf. Y. H, 21-34, and note on Y. II, 25-34.

250. Cf. Y. H, 30.

269-274. Pseudo-Matt. 8: 'Tune accepit Joseph Mariam
cum aliis quinque virginibus quae essent cum ea in domo
Joseph, . . . quibus datum est a pontificibus sericum et jacinthum
et byssus et coccus et purpura et linum. Miserunt autem
sortes inter se quid unaquaeque virgo faceret ; contigit autem
ut Maria purpurum acciperit ad velum templi Domini.'

271. In C. 10, three maidens are sent with Mary by the
high priest, who says:

Joseph, thiselph art old of age

And thi wiff of age is gonge,

And, as we rede in old sage,

Many man is sclepyr of tonge.

Therfore evyl langage to asswage

That your good fame may leste longe,

iij damysellys shul dwell with gow in stage

With thi wyff to be evyrmore amonge.

278 Notes, Towneley Visitation (II)

The three maidens are Susanna, Rebecca, and Sephor.
Notice that Sephor and Susanna are the only ones mentioned
in C. II, 3 and 67.

281. So in Pseudo-Matt. 10, but cf. Ch. I, 129, note.

292. Proclus (Pair. Gr. 65. 736): 'Dost thou think that
by this prodigality of words thou canst deceive the under
standing of my white head ? ' See note on C. II, 25 if.

293-298. Cf. Y. II, 134-142; C. II, 71-77, note.

299—304. Joseph's proverbial mildness is very effective
here. He feels deeply, but is restrained by his love for
Mary from betraying her to the " bishop," not by his fear
of being punished himself as in so many of the plays.

305-310. St. Augustine (Migne, Pair. Lat. 39. '2108):
' Joseph : "I have not known her, I have not touched her.
Alas, what hath happened? Through whom hath she so
fallen?"'

314-320. A very unusual and rather beautiful idea; cf.
the baldness and ineffectiveness of a similar idea in Y. II,
61-64.

321—325. Notice the absence on Joseph's part of even a
momentary impulse to betray Mary, even when he is most
wrought up, and his simple resolve just to slip away.

338-340. Cf. C. II, 178-179.

368. Chaucer, Clerk's Tale 1155: 'Be ay of chere as light
as leef on linde.' Langland, Piers PL B. 1. 154 : ' Was never
lef lyghter on lynde.'

TOWNELEY VISITATION (II).

1-30. This family gossip, though adding a touch of realism,
is exceedingly inartistic, and entirely ruins what should be
the great dramatic effect of Elizabeth's greeting, namely its
spontaneity and inevitableness when Mary first approaches
her. As a result of the introductory lines the Benedicta tu
and the Magnificat seem to be brought in merely as a
convention, and to have nothing to do with the play itself.

Notes, Towneley Shepherds (HI) 279

22-23. The names of Mary's parents are recorded in the
Protev. 1, 2 and in Pseudo-Matt. 1 and De Nat. Mar. 1.
These were accepted as their true names by St. Chrysostom.

23. Nese merely signifies kinswoman, at this time; its
present limited meaning did not arise until after 1600. The
relationship of Mary and Elizabeth is not recorded in Scrip
ture ; they are simply called kinswomen ; the author of this
play, however, shows in 1. 79 that he considers Elizabeth to
be Mary's aunt. I have been unable to discover any author
ity for this relationship.

According to the Menologium Basilianum, quoted in Asse-
mani, Kalendaria Eccles. Univ. 6, on July 25, Anna's sister
Sobe was the mother of Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth would,
according to this account, therefore be cousins.

There are two English references to this relationship, almost
contemporaneous with our play ; both make the relationship
the same, though each has a different name for Elizabeth's
mother. Higden, Polychronicon 4. 246, quotes Jerome :
* Anna et Emeria fuerunt sorores. De Emeria nata est Eliz
abeth, Anna suscepit Mariam.' I have been unable to find
any such statement in Jerome. The Cursor Mundi, 11. 10149 ff.,
however, gives the same account, with a slight change in
Emeria's name, but does not quote its source:

Ismaria and Anna war tua
Sisters, I wene, withuten ma,
the foremast bar Elizabeth,
An hali leuedi mild and methe.

31-48. Cf. C. HI, 57 ff., note ; Ch. I, 50-64 ; Y. I, 205-216.
49-78. The Magnificat. Cf. Ch. I, 69-108 ; C. Ill, 82-117 ;
Y. I, 237-240, note.
79. Cf. note on 1. 23.

TOWNELEY SHEPHERDS (III).

1 ff. This type of lyric, emphasizing by antithesis the
variableness of life, is very common in Middle English poetry
(cf. Taylor in Mod. Phil. July 1907, p. 10). The Sayings of

280 Notes, Towneley Shepherds (III)

St. Bernard, translated into English (EETS. Vernon Ms. II,
pp. 515, 692) furnish good examples:

Vnstable is thi lyf I-diht,
Now art thou heuy, now artou liht,
Nou thou richest, and nou thou porest,
Nou thou sek, nou thou rekeuerest.

and:

I wolde witten of sum wys wiht

Witterly what this world were;

It fareth as a foules flint,

Now is it henne, now is hit here.

Ne be we neuer so muche of miht,

Now be we on benche, now be we on bere,

And be we neuer so war and wiht

Now be we sek, now beo we fere.

That such expressions of care and sorrow were popular also
in continental Shepherd plays is evidenced by a Tyrolean
play of the 15th or 16th century (ed. Weinhold, Weih-
nacht-Spiek, p. 153) :

[1st Shepherd] : Ich lig jezt Tag und Nacht in Sorgen,
dass mir mocht heunt oder morgen.
Ich kann vor Frost nit schlafen gar,
Es steigt mir auf vom Kopf das Har,v
Es hat mir ja der Wolf auch fert
drei gute Schaf nieder gemerrt.

[2nd Shepherd] : In grosten Sorgen auf freier Weid

lig ich bei Winters und Sommers Zeit,
in grosten Sorgen hab ich gewacht
in Wind und Schne bei Tag und Nacht,
in Grostem Kummer und schwerer Not,
etc., etc.

1-25. Cf. Ch. II, 1-9 ; T. IV, 1-5, 123-128.

20. 'Whatever happens, I am sure to have trouble.'

38. 'By my wit to try to set the world in order.'
Cf. 1. 487. Related to the expression 'at sixes and sevens,'
meaning ' in disorder.' In 1. 487, however, the meaning may
be, 'who created all in seven days.'

64 ff. Cf. T. IV, 28-45, and note.

97-99. Quoted in John Ray's Collection of Proverbs, 1742.

Notes, Towneley Shepherds (111) 281

100. Another proverb; see T. IV, 591, and note.

101-178. Eaton (Mod. Lang. Notes 14. 265) has shown
that this very humorous episode is an old folk-tale, printed
in Oesterley's A Hundred Merry Tales (1526), No. 24, and
Hazlitt's Shakespere's Jest-Books 3. 4. It is one of the many
tales fathered upon the ' fools of Gotham ' ; see 1. 180, and
note. This episode is one of the few things not recast
for T. IV, where another folk-tale, the story of Mak, was
substituted.

124. A singular expression, probably meaning *a little
grace.'

150-151. Meaning obscure; hyte (see hait in N. E. D.) is
the exclamation used for urging on horses. This sentence
may mean, therefore, 'it is fair to urge them on until it
comes to a fight'; see Glossary.

180. This has become a proverbial expression, although
here it is used as a specific reference ; cf. note on 11. 101-178.
The inhabitants of Gotham in Nottinghamshire achieved this
reputation in the reign of King John, when, to ward off a
threatened visit from the King, they pretended to be idiotic.
Boyde, a native of the town, published in the 16th century
a collection of the many tales of idiocy, which had been
fathered upon his townsmen, under the title The Merrie
Tales of The Wise Men of Gotham, and this did much to
spread their fame.

188-190. Cf. T. IV, 177-182.

208-240. Cf. Ch. II, 101-136.

212 ff. Taylor (Mod. Phil. July 1907, p. 14) gives as a
parallel to the grotesque meal of the shepherds a 'grotes
que receipt' taken from Reliquice Antiquce 1. 325:

Take nine pound of thunder, six legs of a swan,

The wool of a frog,

The juice of a log,
Well parboiled together in the skin of a hog.

All this, however, seems to me to have less to do with
the shepherds' meal than with the caldron scene in Mac
beth. Cf. Ch.H, 113ff.

282 Notes, Towneley Shepherds (HI)

242-262. Cf. Ch. II, 143-148.

244. Cf. Ch. II, 117, and note.

286. Cf. Ch. II, 673-675, and note.

291-295. Cf. T. IV, 264-268.

319-321. Cf. T. IV, 652-654.

321. Cf. Ch. II, 300, note.

332—403. The survival of the prophet element in Shep
herd plays, the oldest form of Christmas drama, is inter
esting. The prophecies here follow the pseudo-Augustinian
sermon very closely (cf. note on Y. I, 1—132) and, consider
ing the wide divergence between the sermon and most
late versions, we are safe in affirming that this passage
shows direct influence of the sermon. Cf. also C. V,
26-60.

359-366. One of the most popular allegorical inter
pretations of Old Testament stories. Cf. Chaucer, Prologe
of the Prioresses Tale 1. 16 :

O bush unbrent, brenninge in Moyses sighte!
And in the A. B. C. to the Virgin, 11. 89 ff.

Moises that saugh the bush with flaumes rede
Brenninge, of which ther never a stikke brende,
Was signe of thyn unwemmed maidenhede.
Thou art the bush on which ther gan descende
The Holy Gost, the which that Moyses wende
Had ben a-fyr; and this was in figure.

See also the index to Livius, The Blessed Virgin in the
Fathers, under Mary as the burning bush.

386—403. The inappropriateness of putting these prophe
cies into the mouths of shepherds is most apparent here.
This quotation is from the fourth Eclogue. Cf. note on Y. I,
1-132.

392. The Disticha de Moribus of Dionysius Cato, a book
of moral maxims, of the 3rd or 4th century, used throughout
the Middle Ages as a text -book; hence, as here, standing
for Latin in general.

413-430. Cf. Ch. II, 358-435, note; T. IV, 656-664.

413. Pollard explains: 'he brought 24 short notes to a
long.'

Notes, Towneley Shepherds (III) 283

453-457. Cf. Ch. II, 481-2, 549-551.

458 ff. Taylor (Mod. Phil. July 1907) gives several exam
ples of the popular Middle English 'hail' lyrics. Cf. the
other Shepherd plays : C. V, 90 ff., and note ; Ch. II, 552 ff. ;
also Ch. II, 153-156 ; Y. 41, 320 ff., 46. 273 ff.

One of the many referred to by Taylor is quite close to this
passage, and I quote it as a specimen ( Vernon MS. I. 24, ed.
EETS.) :

Heil Ihesu, godus sone,
Holigost from heuene i-come,

Kyng thou art i-Coren.
Heil mon of most miht,
Godus sone that art so briht,

Of Marie thou were boren.
Heil God, best the be,
heil blosme uppon tre,

Heried beo thi sonde.
Heil fruit, heil floure,
Heil be thou, Saveour

Of watur and of londe.
Heil kyng, heil knyht,
Heil mon of most mint,

Prince in thi trone.
Heil Duyk, heil Emperoure,
' Heil beo thou gouernour

Of all this worldus wone.
Heil flesch, heil blod,
Heil mon of mylde mod,

Heil beo thow kyng.
Heil God ffarest,
Heil be thow, bern best,

Thow madest alle thyng.
Heil Rose vppon Rys,
heil mon of most prys.

ffor us thou were ded.
Heil God ful of miht,
Godus sone that art so briht.

In fourme thow art of bred.

466. Cf. Ch. II, 559.

469. Milksop in a very unusual sense, merely signifying
a small child.

284 Notes, Towneley Shepherds (IV)

482-483. This sounds like a proverb, but I have been
unable to locate it elsewhere.
487. Cf. note on 1. 38.
491, 495. Cf. Ch. II, 536-539, and note.

TOWNELEY SHEPHERDS (IV).

1-15. Cf. Ch. II, 1-9; T. Ill, 1 -25; T. IV, 123-128.

10-45. An expansion of T. Ill, 28—36, on the oppression
of the poor by the rich. To this is added the idea of the
' prowde swane ' in T. Ill, 55-81 ; see note on 11. 28-45.

20. 'They make the plough stick fast, a contrast to the
old toast " Speed the plough." '—Pollard.

28-45. Cf. T. Ill, 64 if. Shakespeare's description of an
other 'prowde swane' of the same period is similar; cf.
/ Henry IV, I. 3. 30 if. :

Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drest,
Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin new reap'd
Showed like a stubble-land at harvest-home,
He was perfumed like a milliner.

and still he smiled and talked,

and as the soldiers bare dead bodies by,
He called them untaught knaves, unmannerly,
To bring a slovenly unhandsome corse
Between the wind and his nobility.
With many holiday and lady terms

He questioned me

I then, all smarting with my wounds being cold,
Out of my grief, and my impatience
To be so pestered with a popinjay,

Answered neglectingly

for he made me mad

To see him shine so brisk and smell so sweet
And talk so like a waiting-gentlewoman
Of guns and drums and wounds.

37. ' In the days of Sumptuary Laws an embroidered sleeve
would presumably betoken a man of rank.' — Pollard. ' In Eng
land we hear much from writers of the 14th century of the
extravagance of dress at that period. They remark both

Notes, Towneley Shepherds (IV) 285

on the great splendor and expensiveness of the apparel of
the higher orders and on the fantastic and deforming fashions
adopted by persons of all ranks. The parliament held at
Westminster in 1363 made laws (37 Edw. III. c. 8-14) to
restrain this undue expenditure, and to regulate the dress of
the various classes of the people. . . . They seem, however,
to have had little effect, for in the reign of Richard II the
same excesses prevailed, apparently to an even greater de
gree.' — Encyclopaedia Britannica, under Sumptuary Laws.

46-54. Good transition; the shepherd laughs off his too
serious arraignment of society, very much in Chaucer's manner.

60 if. Cf. T. Ill, 1 if., and note.

64—108. Another expansion of material from T. Ill ; cf.
11. 96-99. The idea of a shrewish wife seems to appeal to
our author ; he dwells on it at length later on, in the Mak
interlude; cf. also Ch. n, 85-90.

123-128. Cf. Ch. II, 1-9; T. Ill, 1-25, IV, 1-15.

127. noe floode = Noah's flood.

154-171. Cf. Ch. II, 165-177, 218-225.

177-182. Cf. T. Ill, 188-190.

190—637. This, the famous Mak interlude, in substance
and in dramatic form is not only the high-water mark of
the Towneley dramatist, but of all the English mysteries.
It is the first really well developed dramatic plot in the
language, and compares very favorably with any subsequent
farce.

Koch, in an article on Archie Armstrang's Aith, printed
in the EETS. ed. of the Towneley Plays, has called atten
tion to the similarity between the story of Mak and a poem
published in Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (5th
ed., Edinburgh, 1812, 3. 481) by the Rev. John Marriott.
In a note to the poem Marriott says that the legend 'has
been preserved by tradition, and is at this time current in
Eskdale.'

It seems quite probable that this is true, although Pollard
points out that Dr. William Marriott printed the Towneley
Secunda Pastorum a few years after the appearance of
John Marriott's poem, that he may have been a relation,

286 Notes, Towneley Shepherds (IV)

and that the Reverend John may therefore have had access
to the Towneley MS., and stolen his plot from our play.
It seems much more plausible, however, that this is an old
legend which was used by the author of the Towneley Plays
in the 14th century, which survived in folk-lore, and was
later fathered upon the notorious court jester of the 17th
century, Archie Armstrang, and finally was used by Marriott
as matter for his poem in the 19 th century. The fact that
the best part of the story, the return of the shepherds after
we think the suspense is over, is omitted in Marriott's version
should tend to show not only that he was not plagiarizing,
but also that that element is not contained in the folk-lore
version, but was original with the Towneley dramatist.

Parallel passages are given in the notes following.

190. In Rabbinical literature there are seven sacred names
of God, El, Elohim, Adonai, YHWH. Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh,
Shaddai, and Zebaot. In Christian literature I have been
unable to find this number ; Jerome gives ten names of God
in one place, and Junilius gives eight. There seems, there
fore, to have been discussion in the mediaeval church on
this point, and it is rather strange not to find mention of
seven, as seven is the mystical sacred number.

229. This proverb is quoted in Ray's Collection (1737) as
' Seldome lies the devil dead in a ditch.' The Scotch form
is, ' It's lang ere the deil dee by the dykeside.'

Ray expounds: 'We are not to trust the devil or his
children though they seem never so harmless. . . . The
ancients said "Mulieri ne credas ne mortua? quidem." . . .
Perhaps the proverb may allude to the fox who escaped
by feigning himself dead. I know of no phrase more fre
quent in the mouths of French and Italians than "The
devil is dead," to signify that a difficulty is almost con
quered.'

236-252. Cf. 11. 404-421. Suggestion of this theme in
Ch. II, 85-90.

251-252. 'To pay her funeral expenses'; cf. similar
idea in T. 3, 388-392, by the same author (see Int. p. xlii).

262. Mak is a suspicious character, and the shepherds

Notes, Towneley Shepherds (IV) 287

insist upon his lying between them, so that they may notice
if he stirs. Archie is also of a bad reputation ; cf. A. A. A.,
stanza 16:

Aft ha' ye thinned our master's herds,

And elsewhere cast the blame.

264-268. Cf. T. HI, 291-295.

308 if. Archie Armstrang's Aith (A. A. A.), st. 6 ff. :

And oh ! when he stepped o'er the door,
His wife she looked agast.

A ! wherefore, Archie, would ye slight

Ilk word of timely warning?
I trow ye will be ta'en the night,

And hangit i' the morning.

Now haud your tongue, ye prating wife,

And help me as ye dow;
I wald be laith to lose my life

For ae poor silly yowe.

317-319. Ayenbile of Inwyt :

Take this prouethe for a token,
The pot so often goeth forth
At last it commeth home broken.

Also in Hazlitt's Fugitive Tracts, Envoye from T. Smyth:
'Tant va le pot al ewe quil brise.'

330-331. Meaning rather obscure : by = abide, war = worse.
Mak seems to be trying to say : * Then might I expect, from
all the crowd, the devil of a hard time.'

332-335. A. A. A., st. 12 :

The cradle stans by the ingle toom,

The bairn wi' auntie stays;
They clapt the carcase in its room,

And smoored it wi' the claes.

376-385. Mak's pretended waking is admirably done, not
at all exaggerated, and quite convincing to us as well as to
the shepherds.

403. ' The crooked thorn, probably the Shepherd's Thorn
near Horbury in Mapplewell.'— Chambers. See Horbury Shro-
ges in 1. 455.

288 Notes, Towneley Shepherds (IV)

404-421. Cf. 11. 236-252, and note.
440-442. A. A. A., st. 13 ff. :

And down sat Archie daintilie,

And rocked it wi' his hand,
Siccan a rough nourice as he

Was not i a' the land.

And saftelie he gan to croon,

Hush, hushabye, my dear.
He had na sang to sic a tune

I trow for many a year.

455. Horbury, a town in Yorkshire, near Wakefield.
476-477. Koch calls attention to the occurrence of the rime
' tune ' — ' croon ' in A. A. A., st. 14 ; see note on 11. 440—442.
483-485. A. A. A., st. 17, Archie says :

But haud your tonges for mercies sake
The bairn's just at the dying.

514-515. A. A. A., st. 19 :

But gin ye reck na what I swear,
Go search the biggin thorow,

And if ye find ae trotter there
Then hang me up the morrow.

535-538. A. A. A., st. 18:

If e'er I did sae fause a feat

As thin my neebor's faulds,
May I be doomed the flesh to eat

This vera cradle halds.

542. A. A. A., st. 20 :

They thought to find the stolen gear,
They searched baith but and ben,

But a' was clean and a' was clear,
And naething could they ken.

551. Koch calls attention to the parallel in A. A. A., st. 22 :

Or aiblins Maggie's ta'en the yowe
And thus beguiled your e'e.

562-563. Gybon Waller and John Home, the first and
second shepherds in T. Ill, 82-84. Parkyn is perhaps the
surname of Slowpace, the third shepherd, T. IE, 125.

Notes, Towneley Shepherds (IV) 289

569-628. This, the cleverest part of the farce, is probably
original with our author ; see note on 11. 190-637. In A. A. A.
the shepherds do not discover Mak, first or last. The method
of discovery used by the T. dramatist is far more effective
than a discovery on the first visit would have been. Relief
from suspense is immediately followed by greater suspense.

591-592. Cf. T. Ill, 100, evidently a popular proverb,
found also in Everyman, 1. 316.

602-604. An unexpected bit of cleverness, one of the
most humorous touches. The staccato character of the
shepherd's ejaculations in 1. 604 b is very effective; one
can almost hear the laugh.

631. That is, a sheep weighing 140 Ibs.

638-646. A re-casting of T. IE, 296-304 ; cf. particularly
642 and 300, 646 and 304.

652-654. Cf. T. HI, 319-321.

654. Cf. Ch. n, 300, note.

656-664. Cf. Ch. II, 358-435, and note; T. Ill, 413-430.

674-682. An abbreviation of T. m, 332-403 (see note).
Cf. C. V, 26-60, and note; Y. IV, 5-12.

692-696. Cf. T. Ill, 441-448.

710 ff. Cf. Ch. H, 552 ff. ; C. V, 90 ff., and note ; T. Ill,
458 ff., and note. Only in a few places, however, does
T. IV follow T. III.

718. Cf. note on Ch. II, 559.

724-725. Cf. T. HI, 467 a, 470 a.

736. 'Tennis was a fashionable game in France at the
end of the 14th century (cf. the Dauphin's gift of tennis
balls to our Henry V), and was well known in England at
about the same time. In the Romance of the Turke and
Gawin it is alluded to as having been played by Arthur's
knights :

Thou shalt see a tennisse ball,
That never knight in Arthur's hall
Is able to give it a lout.' — Pollard.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica says that tennis is the oldest
of all existing ball-games, that its origin is unknown, but

T

290 Notes, Towneley Shepherds (IV)

that it was popular all through the Middle Ages and probably
came from Italy.

737—754. Notice the resemblance, not only in arrangement
but also in matter, to T. HI, 485-502, particularly

11. 737-485, 738a-487*>, 738a-486*>, 742-490, 744-491.
744. Cf. Ch. II, 536-539, note.

GLOSSARY

a, v., have : C. H, 163, 165, 202.

abhomynabyl, </<//.. abominable :
C. I, 98. [Incorrectly derived
from ab -\- homo = away from
man, hence beastly, unnatural ;
the correct derivation is from
ad + omen = ill omened. This
false derivation caused a ma
terial change in the meaning.]

abought, adv., about : C. Ill, 65.

abuf, adv., above: T. H, 49.

aby, v., pay the penalty, ex
piate : Y. II, 111 ; T. IV, 272.
wait : Ch. I, 184. [This form
arises from confusion of aby and
abydf. aby is from OE. abycgan,
sometimes abuggen in ME.]

abyde, v., wait: Ch. II, 129,
605; T. in, 119, 198, 270, 433,
450, IV, 49, 148, 574, 683 ; ex
pect, await : Ch. I, 447 ; C. II,
133, IV, 94, 116 ; Y. I, 117.

achesonne, n., reason : Y.IV,80.
[OP. achesonc, Lat. occasionem.]

a-do, v., to do : Y. II, 169.
affray, v., frighten : C. IV, 166.

Cf. afrayd, ppl., C. n, 25.
agane, see aganesays.
aganesays, v., contradicts: T.

IV, 38 ; says agane : T. Ill, 60.
agayneW?., back, past: Ch.I,37.
aght, v., ought : T. IV, 461.
aide, n., old age: Y. I, 182;

adj., old : Y. H, 11, 195, III, 73.
alswa, adv., also : Y. 1, 239. Cf .

frequent occurrence of als =

as. [OE. call szva.]
altherbest,arf/., best of all : Y.II,

253. alther = gen. plur. of

all, used down to 1600.]
althirmast, adj., most of all:

Y. n, 270. [Cf. altherbest]
alye, »., kindred: C. IV, 15.
alyene, n., alien, stranger : T.

Ill, 351.
alys, v., ails : T. IV, 505. [OE.

and, con/., if : passim.

ane, pron., one : Y. II, 28, 31 ;

anely, only : Y. I, 205 ; anes

once : Y. II, 125.
angris, n., troubles : Y. n, 275.

[ON. angr, trouble.]
anker, n., anchorite : Ch. n, 667.
anlepy, adj., single: Y. II, 40.

[Northern form of OE. anRpe, a

collateral form of anfoptg, from

an one + htiep jump, leap.]
anowe, adj., enough : C. IV, 42.
anoye, «., misfortune : Ch.1, 550.
appent, v., is supplementary :

Ch. I, 268.
apent, v., pertain, refer:

Ch. n, 342.
appete, »., appetite : T. HE, 239.

[Influenced by OF. vb. appeter,

to desire.]

aqwyte, v., requite: C. V, 145.
are, adv., ere, since : Y. n, 300.
arme, «., harm : Y. II, 101.
am, v., are : C. V, 36. [North

Midland form.]
askis, v., demands: Y. IV, 118;

askyght , asked : C. IV, 269.
at, prep., with : C. I, 236 ; Y. I,

155; to:C.IH, 10, Y.II,140;

from: C. in, 190; T. I, 151,

n, so.

pron., that : T. HI, 149.

atamed,#>/., cut into : Ch.H, 136.
[Borrowed from OF.entamer, to
cut the first piece, L. Lat. at-
taminare.]

attaynt, ppl., convicted : Ch H,
285. "

aughen, adj., own: Y. I, 202;
awne,Y.I,197,H,186;T.II,
74. [OE. agen}

avyse, v., avyse the, remem
ber : T. IV, 523 [OF. s'aviser.]

avowed, ppl., consecrated : T.I,
114.

avoyd, v., withdraw : C. IV, 114.
[OF. avotder, to empty.]

294

Glossary

awne, see aughen.

awre, adv., anywhere : T. IV,
364 ; awro, T. IV, 111 : ay-
whore, T. IV, 632.

awro, see awre.

axe, v., ask : Ch. H, 259.

aylastand, pr. pi, everlasting :
Y. Ill, 144.

ayll, n., ale : T. Ill, 111, 244,
248, 256.

ayre, »., heir : T. IV, 604.

ayther, adj., either : T. IV, 459,
513 ; aythor, T. IV, 518.

a^enSj/r^., contrary to, against :
C. II, 152, IV, 258, 262, V, 126.

bab, n., baby : Ch. I, 353 ; T. Ill,
440.

baby shed, v., scorned, mocked :
T. I, 292. [OF. baubiss, stem of
baubir, to mock. English form, in
fluenced by adj. babish, childish.]

bacon, ppl., baked: Ch. II, 113.

bade, v., awaited : Y. Ill, 90.

Balaham, Balaam : Y. IV, 14.

bale, »., evil : woe : Ch. I, 412 ;
C.V. 65 ; Y. I, 4 ; balys (plur.) .•
C. 1,21; bayll: T.I, 10, III,
247.

balk, n., ridge, mound: T. IV,
49. [OE. balca, ridge ; modern
sense comes from the idea of
a ridge being an obstacle in
ploughing.]

balys, ??., see bale.

ban, v., curse : T. 1, 163, IV, 625 ;
banne, Y. II, 21.

bande, »., string : Y. IV, 112.

bane, n., servant : T. II, 53. See
bayne. [bane, adj., ready, will
ing ; from ON. beinn, straight.]

banne, v.t see ban.

baran, baren, see bareyn.

bareyn, adj., barren : C. I, 206,
256 ; baran, Y. I, 184 ; baren,
bare, mere : Y. IV, 103. [Ulterior
etymology uncertain, perhaps
from L.Lat. bar = vir = man.]

baron, »., man of rank : Ch. 1,190.
child, barne: Ch. I, 651;
baronne: Ch. II, 568; cf.
Variants.

batchelere, n.. a young knight :
Ch. I, 190.

bawmys, «., balm's : C. V, 47.

bayll, see bale.

baynable, adj., obedient, agree
able : Ch.I,317. [Unique word,
evidently from bayne, q. v.]

bayne, adj., ready, willing : Ch. I,
234, 238. See bane. [ON.
beinn, straight.]

be, prep., by : passim.

beast, v., art: Ch. I, 25.

bedell, n., herald, messenger :
Ch. I, 257 ; bedyll : Ch. I, 36.
[Compare Mod. Eng. beadle.]

bedene, adv., all together : T. I,
199, III, 218 ; completely :
T. IV, 263. [Origin unknown,
latter part from early ME.
ane, in one.]

bedyll, see bedell.

begownne,^/., begun: C.11,31.

beheste, behestys, see behete.

behete, v., promise, assure : Y.IV,
57 ; behestys, v., promises :
T. Ill, 300, 642 ; beheste, «.,
promise : T. Ill, 436. [OE. bi-
has, promise, from bihatan, to

Eromise. The -t- is sometimes
itroduced from analogy.]

behovys, v., it is one's duty :
T. I, 150, 261; behowrys :
T. I, 233; behovyth, belongs:
C. IV, 2.

behowfys, see behovys.

bekent,^.,know: Ch.II,345. [Il
legitimate use for sake of rime.]

belde, v., find shelter, lodge :
Y. n, 8, III, 14; n., shelter,
protection: Y. Ill, 76.

bell-weder, »., bell-wether,
sheep which leads the flock
wearing a beU : T. Ill, 112.

bemeyne, v., mean, signify :
T. IV, 55.

bemys, n., beams of light : C. II,
16. [Used thus first by Bede.]

benste,mfcr/.,benedicite : T. Ill,
46, IV, 55, 359. [Invariably
pronounced thus.]

bent, ppl., intent, determined (?) :
Y. I, 46.

Glossary

bent «., a bare field : T. IV, 142.

[OS. binet, rush, reed ; compare

OE. Beonet-&ah, Bently.]
berand. pr. pi., bearing : T. II,

66.

berde, ;/., bride : Y. II, 78, 122.
bere, «., bearing, appearance:

Ch. I, 394 ; T. in, 66.
bere, «., clamor, shouting: T.

IV, 405. [O. Fris. bare, Du.

gebaar = noise.]
bering. ;/., see beryght.
beryght, 7-., beareth : C. IV, 46 ;

berys. -v., bears : T. IV, 134.

bering. «., birth, bearing : Y.

Ill, 98.

berys, see beryght.
bestad, ppl., placed, situated:

C. V, 118.
betake, -z>., commend, consign:

Ch. II, 284,664 ; betaken, ppl.,

turned: Ch. I, 102.
betokyns. v., signifies: T. III.

321, IV, 654.

beyste. «., beasts : Ch. II, 78.
beytt, v.. make good, restore :

T. I, 10. [OE. be fan.]
bibbe, »., drink : Ch. II, 145.
bidand. pr. pi., biding, remain
ing : Y. I, 4.
blaky s. ?'., darkens, grows black :

T. IV, 361.
blase, n., blaze, light : T. Ill,

452.

Masses, v., blazes : Ch. II, 301.
bletlnge, pr. pi., singing (lit.

bleating) : Ch. H, 403.
bllne, v., delay, tarry : Ch. I,

263. blyn, cease : T. I, 105,

III, 429. [OE. be + linnan,

cease.]
blodyngs. »., black puddings:

T. Ill, 217. [compound of

blood and pudding.]
blome. n., blossom : C. V, 92 ;

T. 1, 255, II, 4.
blomyght. »., blooms : C. IV,

28. [Compare beryght
blonder, n., confusion, disturb
ance : T. IV, 25.
blyn, see bllne.
bob, n., bunch, cluster : T. IV, 718.

bode, n., body : C. II, 217.
bodword. n., message : T. 1, 146 ;

commandment : \. 1, 169. [OE.

bod, northern form for gebod,

command.]
bonde, n., pregnancy (used in

this sense only of the Virgin

Mary) : C. IV, 173.
bore, n., hole : Ch. II, 274.

boar: T. Ill, 212.
borwe, -v., be surety for, redeem :

C.I, 21, 104. [OE. borgian, from

borg, a pledge.]
boun, n., boon : C. IV, 39.
bountith, n., bounty, kindness :

Y. IV, 118.
boure. »., dwelling, cottage :

C. V, 67 ; bowre : C. I, 314.
maidens' bed chamber : C.II,

46 ; bowre : Ch. n, 556.
house, race, stock : Y. I, 76.

bowre, shelter: Ch. n, 2.

bower, bed chamber : T. IV,

76.
bourgh. n., village, town : C. IV,

5 ; burgh : Y. IV, 13 ; burght :

Y. IV, 87. [Always used for

some foreign town.]
bovearte, n. : Ch. II, 276 ; see

note.

bow, n., bush : C. H, 83.
bower, see boure
bowles, n., bowls, in the sense

of conviviality : Ch. II, 146.
bowne. adj., bound, ready, pre
pared : Ch. I, 280 ; T. Ill, 130.
bowrde. n., play, game : T. HI,

482; trick: T. IV, 332.
bowre, n., see boure.
boye, «., servant, retainer : Ch. I,

276, 280, 284, &c.
boyte, n., boot, remedy : T. Ill,

braganoe, «.,bragging,boasting :
T. IV, 43. (OF. *bragance.}

brageri, n., braggers: T. Ill,
55.

brayde, z/.,brayde of, resemble :
T. in, 153. [OE. bregdan,
to move suddenly ; sometimes
to act a part, hence this sense.]

brede, -v., spring forth : Y. I, 76.

296

Glossary

bredde, ppl., brought forth:

Y. I, 81.

brefes, «., short notes : T. IV, 657.
brekyll, adj., brittle, fragile :

T. IV, 121.
bren, v., burn : T. IV, 595 ;

brenne, burn, shine : C. V, 21.
brewe, v., cause: Ch. I, 516.
browne, »,, brawn : T. Ill, 212.
brude, «., a brewed drink, beer :

T. IV, 237.

brydde, »., bird : C. II, 83.
bryst, v., burst: T. IV, 629.

[OE. berstan, W.Ger. *brestan,

thus a double metathesis in

the ME. form.]
bun, ppl., bound: T. IV, 80,

753; cf. bowne.
burnand, pr. pi., burning : T.

Ill, 360.
bus, v., must : Y. II, 230, 244,

289, 304. [Contracted from

behooves ^\
buske, v., set out, hasten : C. V,

67 ; Y. II, 8.
buske, »., bush: Ch. II, 498;

buskes : Ch. H, 2. [Lat. bos-

cum, Ger. busch, ON. bttskr.

Later Eng. b-ush has supplanted

busk.}

buxom, adj., obedient : T. I, 336.
buxumnes, »., obedience: T.

II, 53.
byll-hagers, «., men who hack

with bills or broad swords (?) :

T. in, 57.

byrdyng, »., sport (here adul
tery; : T. I, 345. [From v., to

bird, i. e. to hunt birds.]
byttlockes, «., fragments, small

pieces: Ch. II, 152.
byworde,rc.,proverb: T. Ill, 481.

can, v., know : Ch. I, 494, II,
35 ; T. I, 175, 295, 312, III,
420, IV, 88, 332; con : Y. I,
168.

care, v., am troubled : Ch. II, 89.

careful, adj., full of sorrow and
trouble : C. I, 16, 22 ; Y. II,
145; T.I, 164.

carpe, v., talk, prattle : Y. II,

140. [ON. karpa, to brag.]
carpynge, »., speech, talking:

C. V, 32.
caryed. v., carried, stole : T. IV,

349.
cas, »., matter,"affair : Y. II, 145 ;

case : Ch. I, 9, 144, 157, 544,

11,288; C. 11,85; T. Ill, 45,

491, IV, 315.
cast, «., chance : T. IV, 341, 447,

593.

purpose, plan: C. Ill, 161.
catell, n., stuff, belongings : T.

IV, 548.

cele, see ceyll.
celsls, shepherd's version of ex-

celsis: Ch. II, 389, 408.
cete, see cety.
cety, »., city : C. Ill, 8, IV, 5 ;

cete :C. IV, 67; cite: Y. Ill,

9 ; Cyte : C. I, 189, IV, 11,

14, 29, 57, 64, 70.
ceyll, »., bliss, happiness : T. IV,

523 ; cele : T.IV, 558; cf. sely.

[OE. sal, Ger. selig, related to

Lat. salvus, Mod. Eng. silly."]
chary s, »., jobs, chores : T. IV,

304. [OE. c$rr, Ger. kekr.}
chawmere, »., chamber, room :

C. I, 314, IV, 93, 111.
cheesse, adj., choice : Ch.II, 179.
chefe, v., prosper, thrive : T. IV,

398 ; oheve : C. V, 137.
chere, n., countenance, expres
sion : C. II, 154 ; Y. Ill, 125 ;

T. IV, 102, 730.

comfort, solace : C. II, 126,

IV, 145; cher: C. Ill, 49.
frame of mind : C. IV, 170 ;

T. II, 83.

phrase what chere ?, how are

you ? : passim. [OE. chiere, face,

Lat. cara.]
ches.7 ., choose : C.I, 95 ; chese :

Ch. I, 301.
cheve, see chefe.
childe, v., shield : Y. II, 69.
chyte, v., chide, brawl : T. IV,

626.

cite, see cety.
Clarke, «., scholar: Ch. I, 225,

Glossary

297

255; olarke*: Ch. II, 658;

olerk : T. IV, 613 ; clerky s :

C. IV, 51 ; clerkis : Y. I, 47,

IV, 117.
clause, >i.. the conclusion of a

scholastic argument : T. Ill,

241.

oledde, ppl., clad : Y. I, 29.
olepe, v., call, summon : C. Ill,

46 ; Olepyd, ppl. : passim.
clerge. w., learning, scholarship :

T. HI, 389 ; clergy : T. IV,

676 ; olergete : T. HI, 240.
clergete. clergy, see olerge.
clerkis. clerky s &c., see olarke.
olight, ppl., grasped : Ch. I, 656.

[OE. clyccean ; Mod. Eng. clutch

is another development.]
cloghe, »., ravine, usually the

bed of a torrent: Y. IV, 52.

[OE. *cloh.]
clo»: phr., in clos, secretly:

C. Ill, 116.
Clowt, «., patch: Ch. H, 52,

282; cloth, covering: T. IV,

584.
clowtt, n., Wow: Ch. II, 88;

clowtes : Ch. II, 89. [Deriv
ation unknown.]
clyfe, n., cliff, rock; crystal

olyfe, rock crystal : T. 1, 308.
clyne, *;., bow, submit : C. I,

283.
cobill-notis. «., a kind of hazel

nut : Y. IV, 112.
cod, «., pillow, cushion : T. IH,

22. [ON. koddi, OE. codd.]
colkny fys. «., long, large knife :

T. IH, 57.
ooUe, interj., golly ! : Y. IV, 39,

54.

comeryd, ppl., conceived, mo
thered : C. I, 31. [Unique word

here in English, FT. commcre,

god-mother, hence any parental

relation; see in LittrS's Diet.

de la Lang. Franc^
commen, adj., common: Ch. I,

442.

con, see can.
conceytate, «., pregnancy: T. I,

138.

conny ng, adj., knowing, learned :

Y. IV, 117.
oonversaoion, «., spiritual state :

C. Ill, 29.
couth, v., could: T. IV, 103,

524, 739 ; couthe : T. IV, 120,

218, 433 ; oowth : T. IH, 242.
cover, v., recover, save, redeem :

Ch. II, 471. [In part aphetic

from acover, (OE. a-cofrian),

redeem ; also reinforced by OF.

covrer, to acquire. Not to be

confounded with cover from

OF. couvrir.]
cowche, v., to bow in reverence :

T. HI, 478.
oowre, v., bend down : T. IV,

722.

oowth, v., see couth,
oowth. adj.. known, familiar :

Ch. H, 687.
coyntly, adv., quaintly, i. e.

skillfully, cleverly : Ch. I, 623.

[OF. cointe, Lat. cogm'tum.}
craft, n., trade, occupation:

Ch. II, 666 ; T. I, 277 ; crane.

Ch. II, 82, 396.

skill : T. I, 295.
crak, v., to make a noise, to

boast: T. IH, 59, IV, 477.

orakid, ppl., sung : Y. IV, 67.

crakyd, v., sang : T. IV, 656.
cratch, n., manger, crib : Ch. I,

526, II, 491.
creyse, n., croise, cross (?) :

C. V, 32.
oroohett, n., a note of half the

value of a minim : T. IV. 658.
crok, v., croak, groan : T. IV,

386 ; to utter a cry : T. IV, 69.
oromes, n., hooks, crooks (to

pull down the boughs of a

tree) : Ch. H, 639.
crop, n , consummation : T. IH,

470, IV, 725 ; oropp : Ch. H,

427.
orosse, »., night-spell (?) : T. HI,

289.
croyne. v., croon, hum : T. IV,

476, 661.
oryb, v., eat, feed at a crib :

T. IH. 208.

298

Glossary

curiouse. adj., carefull, assidu
ous : Ch. II, 386.

curst, adj., disagreeable : T. Ill,
206.

ourye, n., cookery, cooked food :
Ch. II, 282. [OF. queurie, Lat.
coq^^us.\

custom, adj., customary : C. I,
324.

cyte, cytee, see cety.

dall, «., daddle, hand: T. IV,
733. [Probably a mere in
fantile word ; possibly it orig
inally signified the hollow of
the hand, and is related to
common Teutonic root dalo,
hollow.]

dame-kynn, »., women-folk :
Ch. II, 90.

dampned, ppl., damned: T. I,
28.

dangere. n., power, dominion :
Ch. I, 191 ; in thi dangere,
under obligation to thee : T.III.
205.

dase, «., days : Y. II, 11.

dayes, n., dais : Ch. I, 246.

dede, n., death : Y. II, 19, 50,
IV, 66 ; T. IV, 621 ; adj., dead :
Y. II, 148 ; T. IV, 229, 486.

defend, v., prohibit : T. I, 6.

defens, n., argument : C.HI, 153.

defly, adv. for adj., deaf : T. IV,
109.

deft, adj., gentle, kind (possibly
beautiful, handsome) : Ch. II,
397. [Cf. Du. deftig, decent.]

degre, »., rank : C. I, 329, IV,
98 ; T. I, 335 ; degree : Ch. I,
7, 55, 76, 192, &c.

delay de, ppl.. allayed, assu
aged: C.IV, 277.

dele, "v., have to do : Y. I, 234 :
T. I, 323.

dele, n., part, portion : C. IV,
138; deyll: T.III, 271.

denye, v., refuse : Ch. II, 96.

deprave, v., disparage : Ch. II,
119.

dere, v., harm, injure : Y. II,
305.

derfely, adv., quickly: Y. II,

148. [ON. djarfr, bold.]
dosesyd. ppL, made uneasy:

C. II, 130.
desever, v., disperse, separate :

Ch. II, 357.

devyr, «., duty : C. II, 109.
devyse, »., will, pleasure : T.I, 3.
dewlll, n., devil: T. IV, 110,

217, 331, 392, Ac. ; dewyll :

T. IV, 210, 229 : deyll : T. Ill,

272.

deyll, see dele and dewill.
diffynicion, »., limitation : C.I,

100.
dight, v., direct, govern : Y. II,

203.

prepare : Y. Ill, 49 ; dyght :

C. V, 71.
ppl., prepared : Ch. I, 381 ;

dyght : T.I, 72, 11,59, 111,288.
arrayed, drawn up in rank :

Ch. I, 227.
digh tinge. «., preparation : Ch.

II, 219.
disease, v., displease: Y. IV,

127.
dispituouslye, adv., scornfully,

contemptuously : Ch. I, 594,

604 ; dispytuusly : Ch. I, 94.
dispytuusly, see dispituous
lye.
dissayuandly.mft , deceivingly :

Y. II, 140.

dissese, «., trouble : C. Ill, 150.
diuersorye, n., shelter, tempor
ary lodging : Ch. I, 524.
dold, adj., stupid, inert : T. IV, 2.
dole, n., grief: Ch. H, 248;

Y. II, 148 ; dule : Y. II, 144 ;

doyll : T. I, 220.
dolowre. «., trouble : C. IV, 63.
domes, »., judgements : Y. I,

68.
dompnesse, »., dumbness : C.IH,

35.
done, v., place, put : T. I, 228 ;

dyd, put : T. II, 67.
dotist, v., art silly, talkest

foolishly : Y. II, 180.
dowm, adj., dumb : C. Ill, 183.
dowore, «., door (?) : T. IV, 362.

Glossary

290

dowse, n., dose : T. IV, 246.
dowtere. n., daughter : C. I, 57,

75, 311 ; doughtir in Y.
dowth, n., doubt : C. IV, 249,

254.

doyll, see dole,
doyn, ppl., done : T. Ill, 431 ;

doyne: T. IV, 280; doya

does : T. Ill, 235.
draea, see dray,
dray, v., draw : T. IV, 306 ; draea.

draws : T. Ill, 287.
dre, V., endure, undergo : T. IV,

65.
dredand, pr. pi., fearing : T. II,

63.
dredene. v., fear, reverence :

Ch. I, 91.

dredles, adv., surely : Y. II, 90.
dreede, «., fear : Ch. I, 446.
drely, adv., heavily, mightily:

T. Ill, 245.
drent. ppl., drenched, drowned :

Ch. II, 249.
dresse, v., address : Ch. II, 588 ;

order, arrange : Y. H, 203, 238.
drogh, v., drew : T. HI, 276.
dryrle, «., love: Ch. II, 588.

[OF. druirie, Lat. drtederia.]
dude, v., did : C. IV, 95, 271.
dole, see dole,
dwere, «., doubt: C. II, 11.

[Origin unknown.]
dyd, see done.
dygnt, see dight.
dyke, n., ditch : T. Ill, 93. [OE.

die = both dyke and ditch.']
dyscreeve. v., discover, betray :

Ch. I, 141. [OF. descrive, Lat.

describere^
dyapeyre, v., despair: C. Ill,

101.

oare, n., air : Ch. II, 344.
echo on, pron., each one : C. I,

162.
edder, n., adder : T. I, 25. [OE.

nadre ; for loss of -n-, see nang-

ere.]

ee. n., eye : T. II, 3, in, 325,
340, IV, 287 ; een(//«r.) : T.IV,
284; eene: T. Ill, 21, 369,

448 ; eeyne: T.IV, 58 ; eynes :

C. I, 25.

een. eene. see ee.
eeyne, see ee.
eft, adv., afterward : T. IV, 294,

622.
eg, n., fight (V): T. HI, 161. [ON.

egSJai t° incite.]
egermonde. n., agrimony : Ch.

II, 22. [Adaptation of OF.

agramoineA
elde, n., old age : Y. I, 182, II,

5 ; T. I, 135, 170, II, 9, 11.
elyke, adj., alike : T. Ill, 91.
emang. prep., among : Y. IV, 49,

56 ; T. in, 46, 306, &c., also

emong, and omange (q. v.).
emell. prep., among : Y. I, 112.

[ON. amilli.}
enbraste, ppl., surrounded: Y.

II, 276.
endorde, ppl., covered with the

yolk of egg : T. Ill, 234.
enewe, adj., enough : T. IV, 500 ;

see inowe.

equyte, n., equity : C. I, 132.
er, z-., are: Y.I, 37, n, 15, 91;

ere: Y. n, 164.
erya, n., ears : T. Ill, 312.
ethe, adj., easy : C. IV, 20. [OE.

eathe.]

enyllia, n., evils : Y. II, 275.
everychone, pron., every one :

Ch. I, 298, 687.
everywon, adv., always : C. IV,

67.
exorte. ?•., issue forth, spring

up : C. I, 56.
expresae, adj., exact, true : Ch.

I, 575; specially despatched:

C. I, 316.

eyoh, pron., each : Ch. passim.
eyll, n., eel : T. IV, 356.
eynea. see ee.
eyte, adj., eight : C. HI, 171.

fall, 7-.. happen, chance: Ch. I,
47 ; Y. II, 272 ; T. Ill, 189, 432,
IV, 560; falle: Y. IV, 107;
faUea: Y. IV, 45; fally«:
T. IV, 66, 188 ; fell, happened :
Ch. I, 719 ; T. IV, 314.

300

Glossary

fames, v., makes public, de
fames (?) : T. I, 213.

famyscht, adj., famished : C. I,
12.

fane, adj., happy : T. Ill, 8, 176.

fang, v., turn to, enter upon :
T. IV, 668. [OE. fon, Ger.
fangen.]

far, adj., fair (?) : T. Ill, 150.

far, fare, fares, farys, &c. v.,
go, fare, experience, prosper :
passim, foore : past indie : T.

IV, 196; fowre: T. IV, 123;
ferd, ferde, C. II, 10, 21.

fard, adj., afraid: T. IV, 666;

ferd : T. Ill, 308 ; fearde :

Ch. II, 306.

fare, fares, v., see far.
fare, n., fuss, commotion : T. IV,

413, 602.

fair : T. Ill, 42.
conduct: Y. II, 100.
occurrence: Y. II, 254.
farly, adj., strange, wonderful:

Y. II, 254 ; ferly : T. I, 110.

[OE. fcerlic, sudden.]
fame, ppl., fared, done : T. IV,

531, 576 (see far).

labored, travailled : T. IV,

533.
fast, adv., an intensive adverb,

similar to Mod. Eng. use of

hard, in such phrases as hard by.
fastand, pr. pi., fasting : T. IV,

352.

fay, faye, n., faith : passim ; part
icularly in phrases in fay,

my fay, &c.

fayn, »., joy : T. Ill, 478.
fayr, »., wages : T. IV, 163.
fe, «., cattle : T. Ill, 105 ; fee :

Y. IV, 35 ; T. Ill, 188.
fearde, adj., see fard.
feare, »., see fere,
febill, adj., wicked, sinful : Y. II,

100 ; feeble : Ch. I, 161 ; fe-

byly: C. IV, 98; feeblye :

Ch. I, 142.

febyly, adv., see febill.
fedd, ppl., sustained by false

hopes : Y. I, 25.
fee, n., see fe.

feeble, feeblye, see febill.
feende, feendes, feendis, see

feynd.

feere, «., see fere,
feft, ppl., endowed : T. IV, 620.
felawe, «., fellow: C. V, 14;

Y. II, 248.

fele, adj., many : Y. I, 236.
fell, v., strike down, destroy :

Ch. II, 565 ; Y. I, 116 ; felle :

C. II, 218 ; Y. IV, 31 ; fellyth :

C. Ill, 109.
felle, adj., savage, fierce : Ch. I,

606 ; C. V, 126 ; fellest : Y.HI,

72.

fellere, «., destroyer : C. V. 108.
felles, n., hills, moors : Y. IV, 34.
fellest, adj., see felle.
feltered, ppl., tangled, matted :

T. Ill, 65.

felyd. v., felt: Y. Ill, 72.
fende, fendys, see feynd.
ferd, ferde, ppl., see far.
ferd, adj., see fard.
ferde, «., fear : T. Ill, 289.
fere, n., companion, mate : Ch. I,

464, 502 ; C. I, 231, 313 ; T. II,

82, IV, 100; feare: Ch.I,76;
phr., in fere (feere, fer,

feare), together : passim.
ferforthe, adv., to that extent:

C. Ill, 89.

ferly, adj., see farly.
fermes, n., rents, taxes : T. Ill,

30. [OE. ferine, Lat. firma, a

fixed payment.]

fetterfowe, n., the herb fever
few : Ch. II, 27.
feyldys, »., fields : T. IV, 133,

167.
feynd, »., fiend, devil: Ch. II,

565 ; T. I, 36, 62, IV, 639 ;

feend : Y.I, 25, IV,31 ; feendes

(gen.) : Ch. I, 638 ; feendis :

T. I, 116 ; fende : C. V, 198 ;

Y. I, 24 ; fendys : C. II, 218,

V, 125.

feytt, see foytt.
flaekett, »., bottle, flask : Ch. II,

144, 571.
flayd, ppl, frightened away:

T. IV, 384.

Glossary

301

flitt, v., move rapidly : Y. IV,

34 ; flytt, depart : Ch. II, 197.

[ON. flytja}

flyng, v., hasten : T. IV, 573.
flyte, v., strive, wrangle : Ch. II,

208 ; T. Ill, 148, IV, 626.
flyth, n., flight : C. I, 214.
flytt, v., move the sheepfold :

T. Ill, 120. See also flltt.
fode. n., child, offspring (that

which is fed) : T. 1, 365 ; food :

Ch. 1, 187 ; C. IV, 144 ; foode :

Y. Ill, 91, IV, 78 ; T. I, 178,

II, 85 ; foyde : T. IV, 720.
fon, n., fool, fools : T. I, 353,

HI, 393.
fond, V., try, attempt : Ch. II,

319, 322. "

food, foode, see fode.
foore, see far.
forbot, n., prohibition : ;T. HI,

271, IV, 451.
forbye, »., redeem, save : Ch. I,

436, 565.

fordele,*., advantage :Y.IV.107.
fordo,*'., ruin, destroy : T.IV,284.
forfete, n., sin, transgression:

C. II, 40.
forgang. v., forego, give up : T.

IV, 34 ; forgonne : Ch. 1, 688.
forgonne, see forgang.
forlore, see forlorn,
forlorn, adj., lost : C. II, 70, 158,

IV, 215, 300, V, 36, 52, 122 ;

forlore : C. IV, 295. JOE./or-

loren, Ger. verloren. Compare

phrase forlorn hope, Du. ver-

loren hoop, a doomed body of

men.]
formefaders. n., forefathers :

Y. I, 110, IV, 5.
formere, «., creator : C. V, 107.
forrakyd, ppl., worn out with

walking : T. IV, 256.
forahapyn, ppl., mis-shapen :

T. IV, 619.
forspokyn, ppl., bewitched,

charmed : T. IV, 613.
fortaxed. ppl., grievously taxed :

T. IV, 16.

forth!, see forthy.
forthy, conj., therefore : Ch. I,

61 ; Y. I, 159, II, 33, 46, 64,

&c., T. I, 335 ; forth! : T. I,

312, 321 ; what forthy, what

of that?: C. II, 104.
forthynk, v., regret : T. I, 299 ;

forthynkyi: T. I, 198, IV,

155, 511.
forwakyd, ppl., weary with

waking : T. IV, 253.
forwandered, ppl., weary with

wandering : Y. II, 250.
foryeldys, v., repays : T. IV, 171.
fott, 7'., fetched, brought : T. IV,

517.

fowre, see far.
foyde, see fode.
foyne, adj., few : T. IV, 281.
foytt, n., foot : T. IV, 352 ; feytt

(plur.) : T. IV, 599.
frande, -v., inquire : Y. II, 225.
fraye, «., terror : Ch. n, 306.
frayn(e), *>., ask, inquire : Y. H,

46 ; T. I, 185. (ON. fregna,

Ger. fragen^
frayste, *>., try, attempt : Y. IV,

35.
freake, «., man: Ch. I, 188.

[OE. freca, warrior.]
fre(e), a stock adj. of compliment

signify ing noble, generous, etc. :

passim.
freere, «., friar: Ch. I, 569;

frerea, frerys (plur.) : T. in,

286, 389.

freese, «., frost : Y. HI, 72.
frely, adj., similar in meaning

and use to fire (q. v.).
frerea, rrerys, see freere.
frith, n., rough, wooded country :

Y. H, 9 ; fryth : C. IV, 87.
fan, ppl., found: Y. I, 155;

T. IV, 78, 751.
f^nd(e), v., support : Ch. I, 429 ;

T. I, 272.
fynter-fanter, «., an herb : Ch.

II, 27. [A jingling reduplica
tion of unmeaning sounds.]

gab, v., mock, scoff : Y. n, 141 :
gabbe, *-., lie : Y. II, 48.

Galale, Oalyle, Galilee: C.I,
188 ; Y. I, 137.

302

Glossary

gam, «., play, sport : T. I, 396,

III, 500, IV, 427 ; gams : T. I,

169.
gammon, n., nonsense, rubbish :

Ch. I, 259.
gan, v., began (in sense of Fr.

se mettre) : passim ; also gOn,

gonne, gun.
gar, v., cause, make : T. IV, 610 ;

gard (past indic^ : T. IV, 650 ;

gars (pr. indie.} : Y. II, 57 ;

T. Ill, 91 ; garres : Y. IV, 50 ;

gart (past indie.} : T. I, 26,

HI, 254. [OE. gier-wan, to pre
pare.]

gard, ?'., see gar.
garray, «., row, commotion :

T. IV, 564.

garres, gars, gart, see gar.
gate, V., got, begot : Y. II, 73';

gatt : T. IV, 603.
gate, «., way, journey: T. Ill,

452 ; good gayte, good luck ! :

T. Ill, 259.
gatt, see gate,
gawde, n., trick: Y. II, 137;

T.IV, 593; gawdys, T. IV,

176.
geder, v., gather : T. Ill, 174,

285; gadir in Y; gaderyn

in C.
geld, adj., barren : T. 1, 134, 139,

II, 12.

gere, n., belongings, equipment :
Ch. II, 529; Y. II, 301; T.

III, 67.

gesyne, »., child-bed : C. IV, 171.

[OF. gesine, from gesir, to lie.]
gett, «., children, offspring :

T. I, 42 ; carnal intercourse :

T. I, 115.
ghostly e. adv.. supernaturally :

Ch. I, 373.
glade, «>., rejoice, make glad :

Ch. II, 111 ; gladys : T.II,50.
glase, »., blow, wound : T. IV,

316.
gle(e), n., pleasure, sport: Ch.

II, 112; T. IV, 708; song:

Ch.II, 332, 382; T. Ill, 326.
glent, v., slip off : Ch. II, 247.

[Teut. *glint, of which the

primary significance is of quick
motion, the secondary mean
ing is of light ; cf. Ger. gldnzen.]
gloe, v., glow, burn with en
thusiasm : Ch. II, 332.

glose,

pretext, specious

appearance : T. IV, 413.
go, v., walk : T. Ill, 100, IV,

592.
goderhayll, inter/., good luck:

T. Ill, 226.

gole,

meaningless word,

perhaps a slang phrase meaning
" get out " : Ch. II, 262.

golyons, n., gown : Ch. II, 247.

gon, gonne, see gan.

gossyppys, «., sponsors in bap
tism: T. IV, 559. [God + sibb,
related in God.]

goys, v., goes : T. passim ; also
goyth, goeth.

goys, »., goose: T. Ill, 233.

goyth, v., see goys, v.

grame, «., harm: C. IV, 155;
anger : C. IV, 183. [ON.
gremja, to vex.]

gramere, »., learning : T. Ill,
387 ; gramery : T. in, 242.

gramery, see gramere.

grathely, adv., properly, care
fully : Y. I., 225 ; see grayth.

grawsinge, »., grazing, feeding :
Ch. II, 138.

grayd, grayed, see grayth.

grayth, v., prepare, equip : Y. I,
19; T.I, 76; grayd: Y.I,
141, 190; grayed: Y.I, 225.

greete, «., grit, sand : Ch. II,
75.

grete, v., weep : T. Ill, 21 ;
gretyng, pr. pi., weeping : T.
Ill, 478.

gronys, n., snouts : T. Ill, 229.

growne, «., face (?) : T. Ill, 432.
[Cf. gronys.]

groyne, v., make a noise like
a hen : T. IV, 70.

groyne, «.

the cut of meat

about the rump : Ch. II, 122.
groyns, «., groans : Ch. II,

262.
gryse, «., terror (?) : C. V, 95.

Glossary

806

[Apparently coined from grys-

<ft;., horribly : C. V, 95.

[OE. gristic.}
gryssed. ///., sunk in grass :

T. Ill, 189.
gun, ?'., see gan.
gurd, v., see gyrd.
gy, »., guide : Y. Ill, 46.
gyler, «., beguiler : T. IV, 713.
gyn, «., snare, trap : T. IV, 370.
gyrd, v., strike, smite: T. IV,

622 ; gnrd, struck (a note) (?) :

Ch. II, 401.
gyse, n., way, manner : C. II,

31, 56 ; T. IV, 341.

hackney, n , a horse of middle

size and quality : Ch. I, 289.
haddyn, v., had : C. IV, 270.
hak, v., to break a note : T. IV,

476.

halfe, v., have : Ch. I, 201.
halsyng,*., greeting : Y. 1, 149 ;

haylslng : Y. I, 213. [ON.

heilsa, to greet.]
hamyd, ppl., crippled, lamed :

T. IV, 15. [OHG. hamen.]
handlangwhile. n., moment,

instant : T. IV, 412. [OE. hand-

hwt!.]
hand-tamyd, ppl., submissive

to handling, humble : T. IV, 17.
hane, ppl., had : T. I, 235.
hap(e), «., fortune, luck : Ch.

II, 207; C.II, 181, IV, 183;

T. Ill, 40 ; nappe : Ch. n,

253 ; Y. n, 272, IV, 90.
hap, v., wrap: T. IV, 434;

nappe : Y. Ill, 120 ; happy d.

ppl. : T. IV, 1 ; hapt, ppl. :

T. IV, 369.
haras, n., an enclosure where

horses and mares are kept for

breeding : C. IV, 83.
harnays. «., stuff, equiment :

Y. IV, 102; harnes: T. IV,

192, 392.

harnes see harnays
harre, adv., higher : Ch. U, 414.
harwere, n., narrower, despoiler :

C. V, 124.

hat, hatt. hattyht. see hyght.
hatyth, v., hateth : C. I, 87.
haunsed. />/>/., raised, elevated :

Ch. I, 98. [OF. *hauncer, for

haucer, FT. hausser', compare

enhance^

haylB, v., hail, greet : T. I, 65.
haylslng. sec haliyng.
hayrlfife, n., hairif , goose-grass :

Ch. II, 77.

haytt, adj., hot : T. IV, 227.
he, adj., high : T. II, 1, in, 15 ;

hee : T. Ill, 442 ; hegh : Y. I,

93, 178.
heal(e), «., salvation : Ch. I, 74 ;

heele : Y. IV, 90 ; hele : Y. I,

240; T. n, 51; heyle : T. I,

45 ; heyll : T. in, 4.

good luck : Ch. II, 48.
heder, hedyr, adv., hither: C.

HI, 75, 197 ; T. Ill, 109, IV,

262.

hee, see he.

hee, pron., ye : Ch. H, 408.
heele, see heal ei
hefhe, n., heaven : passim.
hegh, see he.

heght, «., height : Y. n, 29.
height, see hyght.
hek, n., an inner door : T. IV,

305. [OE. hcec, giving in the

South the form hatch.]
hele, see heal(e).
hem, pron., them : C. I, 21, 24,

IV, 268.

hendyng, «., ending : C. V, 146.
hent, v., lay hold of, grasp :

Ch. II, 252 ; get to, arrive at :

Ch. II, 415.
heppe, n., heap, throng : T. Ill,

417.

herand. n., errand : C. II, 4.
herber, v., contain, hold : Y.

IV, 125.
herberow, n., harbour, shelter :

Y. in, 6 ; herborwe : C. IV,

58.

herthe, «., earth : C. HI, 137.
heryng, n., hearing : T. I, 70.
heste, n., east : Y. IV, 46.
hethen adv., hence: Ch. II,

379, 656.

304

Glossary

hethyng, «., scorn, mockery :

Y. II, 151.
hett, see bight.
hetyng, «., promise : T. IV, 717.
hetys, v., commands : T. I, 111.
heuenryke, n., kingdom of

heaven : Y. I, 101. [OE. heof-

on-rice.']

heydys, »., heads : T. IV, 283.
heyle, heyll, see heal(e).
heynd, adj., gentle, comely:

T. I, 54, 149, IV, 638 ; heynd-

ly : T. I, 66.
heyt, see bight.
bight, v., promised : Ch. I, 174 :

T.I, 8, IV, 472; hyght: Y.

I, 12; T.I, 18, IV, 431; hett,
ppl. : T. I, 118 ; heyt : T. I, 9.

him, pron., them : Ch. I, 264.

his, v., is : C. passim.

hit, pron., it : Ch. passim.

ho, pron., who : C. I, 272, II, 36.

hO, inter j. \ C. I, 87.

hogys, n., young sheep : T. IV.

456.
hote, n., command: T. I, 120.

Cf. hetys.

hudde, intcrj. : Y. IV, 37, 46.
hunder, adv., under : T. IV, 24,
husbandys, »., husbandmen,

farmers : T. IV, 22.
hydus, adj., hideous : T. IV, 58.
hyght, -v., see bight.
hyght, ppl., named, called: C.

II, 214; height: Ch. I, 30;
hygth : C. IU, 30.

hat, v., be called : T. I, 99 ;
hatt: T. IV, 604; hattyht,
am called : C. V, 31.
hynde, adv., near : C. II, 146.
hyne, n., hind : T. IV, 147.
hyng, v., hang: T. IV, 308.

[For rime.]

hyte, inter j., stop ! (?) : T. Ill,
150.

, adj., high : C. passim.
, -v., hie : C. I, 197.

ich, pron., I : T. IV, 201, 207,

211.
ich(e), adj., each : C. IV, 308 ;

T. I, 245, IV, 488.

ichon, pron., each one : C. IV, 4.
ilk(e), adj., each : Y. II, 7, 28.

125, &c. ; T. IV, 241.

same : Ch. I, 573.
ilkane, each one : Y. II, 133.
illspon, ppl., ill-spun : T. IV,

587.

ilyoh, adj., alike : Ch. II, 105.
iment, ppl., intended: Ch. I,

306.
immange, prep., among : Y. II,

31. [Compare emang.]
inbasset. n., embassade, message

sent by an ambassador : C. I.

211.
iucheson, n., motive, reason :

C. I, 330. [OE. acheson, Lat.

occaswnem.]
infude, v., inspired : T. II, 89.

[Lat. infundere, infundi.~\
injoyid, ppl., rejoiced: C. Ill,

inowe, adv., enough: Y. IV, 54.

inrold, ppl., explained, unrolled :
T. Ill, 334.

intent, n., intention, meaning :
Ch. I, 265 ; T. I, 247 ; attent
ion : Ch. II, 413, 433.

inum, ppl., taken, i. e. under
stood : C. V, 83. [OE. genom-
menl\

irke, v., grow weary : T. I, 161.

iwisse, see iwys.

iwote, ppl., known, recognised :
C. V, 80.

iwus, see iwys.

iwys,*^., surely '.passim ; iwus :
C. Ill, 182; iwisse: Y. II,
110.

jambons. «., hams : Ch. II, 131.

langling, «., wrangling : T. IV,
174.

Jannock, »., a loaf of leavened
oaten bread : Ch. II, 120.

Jape, v., sport, have carnal inter
course : C. II, 44.

lape, n., joke, jest : T. IV, 221.

lelott, n., a loose woman : T.
IV, 316. [Diminutive of Gill,
a woman's name.J

juge, n., judgement: C.III, 34.

Glossary

keepe, v., prevent : Ch. I, 613.
ken, v., know: C. Ill, 66, 122;

Y. II, 207 ; T. II, 32, in, 190,

Ac.; kenne; Y. Ill, 127;

kend(e),^/. : C. 1, 189; Y. II,

17; T. II, 46; kende, past

indie. : Y. I, 14 ; kent. ppl. :

Ch. II, 438.
kend(e), see ken.
kende, «., see kind,
kepe, »., care: Y. II, 247;

kepyng : Y. II, 259.
kind. //., race, species : Ch. I, 71 ;

kynde : Ch. I, 173 ; T. in,

395, IV, 591, 679; kende:

C. V, 59, 109.
nature : Ch. 1, 450 ; kynde :

Ch. I, 475 ; Y. I, 21, 52, II,

210 ; kende : C. I, 240.

kynde, generation : C. Ill,

96 ; T. II, 62.
kindly e, adv.. naturally : Ch. I,

438.
knakt, v., broke notes : T. IV,

659.
knave, «., boy; Ch. II, 289;

knafe : T. Ill, 120 ; knafy s :

T. Ill, 144, 277 ; knaues : T.

HI, 278.

servant, commoner : Ch. I,

255 ; C. IV, 195 ; Y. IV, 100.
knowledge, v., acknowledge:

Ch. 1, 390 ; knowlege : C. H,

203, IV, 283.

agree, promise : Ch. I, 269.
knyght, »., boy, youth : C. V,

113. [OE. cniht, Ger. knecht.]
kynde, see kind,
kyppys, v., snatches : T. Ill,

253, IV, 557. [ON. kippa.]

laoh, v., neglect: Ch. II, 281.
lackles, adj., blameless : Ch. II,

533.
lagh, n., law : T. I, 240. [OE.

lagu, Teut. *lago(m}.]
lakan. n., toy, baby : T. IV, 242.
lake, v ., play, amuse one's self :

T. Ill, 465, IV, 165 ; laky s :

T. IV, 414.
lang, v., wish, desire: T. IV,

209; langryd, ppl., T. IV, 33.

lapped, ppl., wrapped, clothed :

Ch. I, 527, II, 4SB; lappyd

C. Ill, 35; T. IV, 4; lapt :

T. IV, 868.

lare, n., lore : Y. II, 98 (q. v.).
late, v., look, search : T. 1, 137.

[ON. Uita\

lathil, v., loathes : Y. II, 149.
laton, n., Latin : T. Ill, 391.
latter, never the latter, never

the less : Ch. I, 540.
lay, *.,law, faith, belief : Y.IV,8.
layne, v., lay : Y. Ill, 132.
layne, v., conceal: Y. H, 227.

[OE. liegnan. Ger. leugnen.}
layth, adj., repulsive : T. I, 63.
le, »., lie : T. IV, 560.
leasinge. n., falsehood: Ch. I,

352.

lech, n., healer : T. I, 45.
leohe, v., cure, heal : Y. IV, 10.
ledyr, adj., poor, sorry, worthless :

T. IV, 147.
lee, n., plain, field : T. Ill, 316.

[OE. leak.]
peace, quiet : Ch.1, 526. [Fig.

use from lee, shelter.]
leedes, «., precedents (?) : Ch. I,

232.

leeffe. see lefe
leeminge,^/;., gleaming : Ch.II,

313
leeve, v., believe : Ch. I, 17, 386,

462, 558, 564, 579, &c. ; leved :

Ch. 1, 62 ; lee ves : Ch. I, 366 ;

lefe : T. IV, 40.
lefe, ?'., see leeve.
lefe, adj., dear : Ch.1, 502 ; Y. II,

101 ; leeffe : Ch. I, 416, 464.
lefe, adv., kindly : Y. II, 249.
lele, adj., faithful, loyal: Y. I,

238 ; T. H, 54, IV, 521 ; leyle :

T. I, 46.

lawful : Y.II, 261. [OF. leel,

Lat. legalis^\

lely, adv., faithfully : Y. I, 59.
lemer, n., flasher, radiator: Y.

Ill, 111.
lemes, «., flashes, rays : Y. IV.

16. [OE. teoma ; cf. leemyd j
lemman, n., loved one: T. I,

65, 356.

306

Glossary

lemyd, v., gleamed : T. Ill, 316.

lende. -v., abide, remain : Ch. I,
137; Y. I, 16; lendyng, pr.
pi.: T. Ill, 80; lent, ppl.,
dwelt : T. I, 352 ; were lent,
abode: Ch. I, 643; is lent,
abides: Ch. II, 511. [OE.
lendan, come to land.]

lende, -v., grant, bestow : Y. Ill,
48; lente, ppi.\ Y. I, 218.

[OE. fiznan, -d- introduced by
analogy to send, bend, &C.J

lendyng, see lende.

lenge, v., linger : Ch. I, 137.

lent(e), see lende.

lere, v., teach: Ch. I, 441, II,

340, 525 ; lered : Y. I, 16.

learn : Y. II, 98 ; T. I, 229,

III, 162, IV, 288 ; lerd, ppl. :

T. Ill, 392 ; lerned : Y. IV, 18.

[OE. Iceran = teach, leornian
= learn, the two became con
fused in ME. ; see lernyd.1

lernyd, v., learned : T. IV, 524.
ppl., taught : C. Ill, 165. [See
lere.]

lease, «., falsehood : Ch. I, 240,

II, 418.

lesse, v.j decrease : Ch. II, 155 ;

leste, ppl. : Ch. II, 148.
let, v., cease, desist : T. I, 223,

III, 226.
lete, see lett.

letherly, adv., badly : T. IV, 171.

[See ledyr.]
lett, v., hinder, prevent : T. IV,

263; lete, C. II, 150; lett,

ppl. : Ch. II, 314.
leved, see leeve.
leuer, adv., rather : T. Ill, 193,

IV, 486 ; levyr, passim.
levers, n., believers: C. I, 270.
leueryng, n., pudding made of

liver rolled up in the form of

sausage : T. Ill, 217.
levyn, «., flash of lightning :

T. IV, 650 ; the star : C. V, 3.
levyng, «., living : Y. IV, 129.
levyr, see leuer.
lewde, adj., ignorant : T.IV, 707.
lewdnes, n., ignorance : C. IV,

264.

lewtye, »., loyalty : Ch. I, 344,

700.
ley, adj., fallow, unploughed :

T. IV, 111.

leyfe, «., leaf : T. IV, 358.
leyfe, adj., see lefe.
leyke, v., hurry : C. V, 63. [OE.

lacan.]

leyle, see lele.
leyn, v., lend, grant : T. I, 371,

IV, 217. [Compare lende.]
likes, -v., pleases : Ch. I, 248 ;

lyked: Ch. II, 419; lykys :

T. Ill, 106.
likinge. »., pleasure : Ch. I. 68,

232, 410, 414; likyng : Y, I,

42 ; adj., pleasing : Ch. II, 157.

lille,

low: Ch. II, 155.

[Unique form ; ' lilts, holes of a
wind instrument of musick.'
Herd Coll. Songs. 1776.]
llste, v., it pleased : Y. I, 34 ;
wish: Y. II, 220; lyst : C.I,

lither. see lyther.

liveraste, n., apparently a

meaningless word, coined to go

with liverye. Ch. II, 203.
liverye, n., food, provisions :

Ch. II, 106, 126, 157, 202, 232,

281.
loden, n., laud, song : Ch.II, 418.

[See note.]
logge, v., lodge: C. IV, 78;

, ppl. : C. IV, 98.
n., lodging : C. IV, 93, 159,
161.

long of, because of : T. I, 300.

longes, »., lungs : Ch. II, 203.

longeth, v., pertains to : Ch. II,
82 ; longys : T. Ill, 111.

longys, see longeth.

lonys, n., loins : T. Ill, 230.

lorn, ppl., lost : passim. Cf . for
lorn.

lote, n., noise : T. IV, 409.

loten, adj., looking : T. IV, 102.

love day, n., day appointed for
settling disputes : C. I, 185.
[Translation of Lat. dies amoris.}

louyng, n., praise : T. Ill, 296.
[OE. lofian, to praise.]

Glossary

307

lowd, «., noise : Ch. II, 164.
lowde, adv., openly : T. IV, 649.
lowse. v., loose : T. I, 369.
lowt(e), v., bow, pay reverence :

Ch. I, 618 ; T. I, 79.
loyn, ppl., lain : C. I, 3.
lugginge, n., pulling, worrying

(as a dog with a bone) : Ch.

II, 201.

lullay, ».,lullaby :T. IV, 442, 446.
lust, n., wish, desire : C. IV,

109 ; [same sense as Ger. Lust.}
lusts, v., wishes, desires : Ch. II,

244.

lyoens, n., permission : C.III,164.
lyg, lyggyst, lygen &c., lie,

liest, lain &c.

lyght, ppl., delivered : T. IV, 337.
lykod, lykys, see likes,
lymes, «., limbs : Ch. II, 454 ;

lymme : Ch. n, 245.
lynde. n., lime tree : T. I, 368.
lyther, adj., rascally, bad : Ch.

II, 265 (possibly = ly ther};
lither : Ch. II, 280.

lythly, adv ., meekly, hnmbly :
C. IV, 30.

ma, v., make : Y. I, 237. (Cf.

Y. Ill, 123.)
maddes, v., growest mad: Y.

IV, 38.
mageste. n., majesty : C. I, 8,

39, IV. 177.
make, n., mate, wife: C. II,

182 ; T. I, 234. [OE. gemac,

equal, gemaca, fellow, mate.]
makinge, n., activity, power of

doing : Ch. n, 299.
males, «., evils : C. 1, 45.
manere, «., manor : Ch. I. 404.
manors, n., manners, in the

sense of nature : T. I, 210.
mangere, n., eating place : T.

III, 201.

mangyng, «., eating : T.HI, 232.
maroo, n., fellow, companion :

T. IV, 436. [Related to ON.

margr, friendly.]
mars, n., marshes : T. Ill, 93.

[OE. mere, ME. mar, Mod. Eng.

mase, ?-., makes: Ch. I, 683:

Y. II, 190; mays: T. IV, 39.
mastry, n., tyranny: T.IV,39.
maw, «., belly : T. IV. 110.
may, v., can, have power : Y. II,

237 ; T. IV, 684.
may, n., maid : C. & T. passim ;

maye : Ch. & Y. passim.
mayll, »., bag : T. HI, 224.
mayll, adj., ill, bad: mayll

easse. distress : T. IV, 485.

[OF. malaise^
mayn, n., might,strength," might

and main " : T. 1, 277 : mayne :

Ch. I, 39 ; Y. in, 107, 128.

[OE. mcegen, power.]

mays, see mase.
meche,^/.,much : C.I, 28, IV, 34.
mede, n., reward: C. in, 18,

IV, 272 ; T. IV, 668 ; merit, ex
cellence : T. I, 86, HI, 467.
medele, v., mingle, mix, join :

C. V, 57 ; medled, ppl. : Ch.

n, 24.
medyll, n., middle portion: T.

IV, 599; belly: T.IV, 534.
mekill. adj. & adv., many, much,

great : Y. 1, 161, in, 10, IV,

25; T. IV, 382; mekyll: T.

II, 59, UI, 3, 20, 56, IV, 65, 94.
melle. v., say, speak : C. V, 125.
memorial!, adj., remembered :

Ch. II. 647.
mend(e), v., amend, improve :

Ch. I, 558; Y. I, 18, 94, II,

232 ; T. I, 326 ; mendys : T.

IV, 290, 504.

increase : T. IV, 388.
mende, «., mind: C. II, 175;

memory : C. I, 7.
mendyng, ;/., improvement :

T. Ill, 78.

mendys, n., amends : T. IV, 567.
mene, v., think, consider : Y.

I, 1, II, 1, 211 ; T. in, 370,

IV, 635; meyne . T. IV, 711.
menee, «., suite, retinue : T.

UI, 401 ; meneye. crowd : T.

IV, 346.
mener, adj., mean, humble :

T. IV, 691.
meneye, see menee.

U2

308

Glossary

mengis. v., disturbs : Y. IV, 4.
[OE. mengan.}

mennes, v., means : Y. I, 71.

menske. 77., reverence, honour :
Y. Ill, 107. [ON. menska, hu
manity, so in Eng., humanity,
kindness, courtesy, honour.]

merknes, »., darkness, Y. Ill,
63. [ON. myrkr, OE. mirce.}

merr, v., purify: Y. I, 39.

merys, »., is merry, smiles : T.
IV, 714.

me the. «., moderation, gentle
ness : C. V, 46.

mett adj., measured : T. Ill, 484.

move, mevinge, mevyd, &c.,
move, moving, moved &c. :
Y. IV, 4 ; C. I, 43 ; Ac.

meyne, v., see mene.

meyne. n., the middle of three
harmonised parts in music:
T. IV, 188.

mo(e), adj., more: Ch., C., T.
passim.

moght, 7'., see mot.

molde, n., earth: Y. I, 62;
mould : Ch. I, 197.

mon(e), v., must : Ch. I, 12, II,
170 ; Y. I, 61, II, 50, 54, IV,
55; T. Ill, 496.

mone, n., moon: C. IV, 163;
T. Ill, 434, IV, 662 ; moyn :
T. IV, 190, 278.

moneth, n., month : Ch. I, 37 ;
Y. I, 183 ; T. I, 138, IV, 234 ;
monethes : Ch. I, 129 ; T. I,
281 ; monyth : C. I, 255 ; mo-
nethis, monethys: C. Ill,
73, 132.

monyth, see moneth.

mop, n., baby : T. Ill, 467, IV,
724.

moren, n., morning : T. Ill, 39.

most, v., must : Ch. I, 520.

mot, v., may : C. Ill, 7 ; C. V,
82 ; Y. I, 148, II, 167, Ac. ;
mote : passim Ch. & C. ; mut :
C. IV, 85, V, 137; moght,
might : Y. I, 214.

mould, see molde.

mow, v., may : C. I, 64, HI, 137,
161. (pr. indie, plur. of may.}

moyn, see mone.

mullynge, «., an epithet ap-

Slied to the Christ-child,
enoting sweetness, derived

from mulled wine, a sweetened

drink : C. V, 136.
mut, see mot.
muted, v., unique word, perhaps

coined from Lat. muto, to

change, as in the phrase "to

ring the changes," but probably

it is shepherds' slang : Ch. II,

420.
mutinge, »., Ch. II, 360, see

muted,
mych, adj., much: Ch. I, 87,

myche : Ch. I, 380.
myin, pron., mine : T. I, 160.
myke, adj., meek : Ch. I, 98.
myn, adv., less : T. Ill, 172.
myn, v., remember : T. I, 8, IV,

675, 745 ; mynne : Ch. I, 363.
myrke, adj., dark : Y. in, 41.

[Cf. merknes.]
mys, n., sin, misdeed : Y. II,

132; T. I, 370, III, 396;

mysse : Ch. II, 679 ; Y. I, 2,

II, 157, 232.
myster, v., need: T. Ill, 231.

[0!\ mestier, Lat. ministerium.}
mytyng, «., mite, little fellow :
T. Ill, 477.

namely, adv., especially : C. I,
319, IK, 16 ; Y. Ill, 74 ; T.
IV, 369.

naroo, adv., narrowly : T. IV,
437.

nately, adv., to some purpose,
thoroughly : T. IV, 158. [ON,
neytr, usefull.]

naugere, «., auger : Ch. I, 401.
[OE. nafu-gar, nave (of a wheel)
-{-gar, piercer. Initial n- has
been lost in Mod. Eng. through
confusion of a nauger and an
atiger. Cf. edder.]

nave, «., knave, (q. v.) : Ch. II,
211.

nawre, adv., no where : T. IV,
367.

naye, »., denial : Ch. I, 261.

Glossary

309

nece, n., any female relative, here
cousin : Ch. I, 49, 117 ; neie :
T. n, 23.

neemly. adv., nimbly: T. IV,

negh, v., to approach : T. IV, 530.

neine, v., name, mention : Y. II,
170.

nerehand, adv., almost : T. Ill,
31, IV, 2; nerehandys: T.
IV, 11.

neres //., ears : Y. I, 214.

nese, see neoe.

nese, sec noyse.

neah. adj., soft : T. IV, 645. [OE.
hnesce.]

neven, v., name, call : Y. 1, 13,
64, II, 263 ; T. passim ; nenyns :
T. I, 191.

neuyns. see neven.

never the more, adv., never :
C. I, 108. [Used for rime, con
fused with nevertheless.]

new, v., renew, restore : Ch. I,
518.

neyn, nine : T. I, 281.

nony s. for the nony s. express
ly : T. IV, 527. [OE. for f>an
anes, wrongly divided, becom
ing/or f>e nanes. Cf. the shift
ing of -n- in naugere, and
edder.]

nores. n., nurse : T. IV, 496.

note, n., use, profit : T. IV, 303.
occupation : T. IV, 411. [OE.
notu, ON. not; cf. G<&r.gemcssen,
to enjoy .J

notht, adv., not : C. II, 2 ; nogt :
Y. passim.

noye, n., trouble : Ch. I, 519.

noyn(e), n., noon : T. IV, 54,
79, 279.

noyse, n., nose T. IV, 612;
nese : T. IV, 488.

noytys, n., notes: T. Ill, 306.

nozt, see notht.

nydy, adj., needy: Ch. I, 99.

nyll, v., will not : T. Ill, 198.

nyn, con/., nor : C. Ill, 66.

nyp, v., reduce by taking away
small bits: T. IV, 161, 289.
catch, take : T. IV, 437.

O, one : C. I, 155, 295, IV, 81 ;

00 : C. Ill, 1 ; on : Ch. A C.

passim ; OOne : T. passim.
obits sh. v., oblige, put under

obligation : Y. Ill, 146, 161.
Of, adv., off : passim.

for : C. in, 150b.
Off, prep., of : C. I, 290.
of-slogh. v., ? : T. IV, 385.
Oght, n., aught : Y. & T. passim ;

owght : C. IV, 106 ; ownght

C. in, 4.

omange, prep., among : Y. 1, 236.
omell, prep., among : Y. I, 62.

[See emell i
on, see o.
one, prep., on : Ch. I, 152, II,

581.
ones, adv., once : Y. IV, 27 ;

T. IV, 685; oones : T. IV, 36,

103 ; onys : C. passim ; T. IV,

38.

onest, adj., honorable : C. 1, 114.
onethys, adv., hardly, with

difficulty : C. IV, 71.
on-lowde, adj., aloud : T. in, 68,

310.

on-lyfe, adj. , alive : T. II, 25.
onone, adv., anon : T. IV, 440.
on-sayll, adj., asail : T.III, 268.
onys, see ones,
oo, see o.
oondls, z-., breathes : Y. HI, 132.

[ON. anda, to breathe.]
oone, adj., own : T. I, 89, IV,

46, 441.
oone, see o.
oones, see ones.

Or, conj., ere : passim.
ordan, v., ordain, appoint,decree :
passim, ordayned, ordered :
Ch. I, 612; established: Ch.
II, 518.

bring about : Y. I, 70.
give : T. in, 479.
ordeyn, make ready, prep
are: C. I, 175.
ordayned, see ordan.
ordeyn, see ordan.
OS, adv., as : T. I, 37.
ostage, >/., inn, hostelry : C. IV,
65.

310

Glossary

outtshyld, ppl., out - shelled,

empty (?) : T. II, 71.
ouer-ga, v., run away : Y. II.

66.
ouertwhart, adv., athwart : T.

III, 48.

owe, v., own : T. I, 178, 186.

owght, see oght.

owtshad, ppl., out-shadowed (?) :

Ch. II, 269.

owther, either : Y. II, 9, 243.
owught, see oght.

pace, v., pass : C. II, 121.

panyere, n., pannier, basket :
T. Ill, 281.

parfyte, adj., perfect : C. I, 292,
296, III, 71.

partryk, «., patridge : T. Ill, 234. i

pas, n., occurrence : C. V, 23.

pase, n., progress : T. Ill, 492.

passage, «., progress, preg
nancy : C. I, 255 ; journey,
flight : C. I, 325.

pay, »., pleasure, liking : T. Ill,
73 ; paye : Ch. I, 317, 372.

payd(e), ppl., pleased, satisfied :
Ch. I, 44 ; C. II, 197 ; T. I, 367,

IV, 425. [OF. payer, Lat. pa-
care, to please, appease.]

paye, see pay.
paynt,<2^'.,painted,embroidered :

T. IV, 37.
paynt, v., to deceive: T. IV,

210.

payres, »., pears : Ch. II, 637.
penyegrasse, «., navelwort, a

medicinal herb : Ch. II, 79.
penyewrytte, «., pennyworth,

another name for navelwort:

Ch. II, 28.

peroer, n., awl : Ch. I, 401.
perfyght, »., perfection : C. II,

perlye, n., pearl : Ch. I, 580.

pestell, n., leg of an animal:
T. in, 216.

pight, ppl., pitched (as of a
camp) : Y. Ill, 4.

pippe, v., tope, drink to excess :
Ch.n, 189. [OF. pipe = drunk
enness.]

plenyn, v., complain : C. II, 110.
plesone, »., pleasure : C. I, 117.
plete, v., plead : T. Ill, 204.
pleynge-fere, »., play-fellow :

C I 313
plight, *.,' pledge : Ch. I, 229.

[OE. pllhtan, danger. Ger.

Pflicht, duty.]
plight, n., see plyght.
plyght, v., bend, fold : C. IV.

260.
plyght, n., bad condition : C.IV,

147 ; plight : C. II, 129.
sin, offense : T. I, 91.
po, n., peacock : T. IV, 28. [OE.

pdwa.]
poacke, n., a small bag or sack :

Ch. II, 127. [ON. poki, bag.]
pointe, n., at point e to, in

poynt for, in immediate peril

of : T. IV, 22, 629.
poll, v., to count, enumerate :

T. Ill, 154.

pose, n., catarrh : T. in, 423.
postee, n., power: Ch. I, 83,

249, 507, 522; postye : Ch.I,

675; pouste: C. V, 133;

powste: C. II, 218. [OF.

poeste, fiotiste.]

potell, see pottle.

pottle, «., a two quart measure :

Ch. II, 615; potell: T. Ill,

484.

pouste, powste, see postee.
powderd, ppl., seasoned : T.III,

216.
prees, »., crowd : Y. in, 12 ;

put in pres, to crowd : Y. V,

121.
preeve, -v., deprive: Ch.I, 522.

prove: Ch.I, 249; preve: C.

IV, 179, 245; preeved, ppl. :

Ch. I, 185, 507 ; proved : Y.

IV, 7.

pres, see prees.
presande, n., present: Y. IV,

110.
president, n., precedent : Ch. I,

264.
preuate, n., secret : T. I, 125 ;

privite, privacy : C. II, 134 ;

Y. II, 198.

Glossary

311

preuay, adj., secret : T. I, 168.
prove, proved, see preeve.
preuely, adv., secretly: Y. I,

150, II, 175; T. IV, 270, 347;

prlvelye : Ch. I, 143.
prioke, v., fasten with a pin :

Y. II, 303.
prise, n., value, worth : C. V,

91 ; prys : C. V, 97.
privilye. see pronely.
privite. see preuate.
proces. n., action, procedure :

C. Ill, 40.
provyde, v., search out : C. I,

149.
prow, n., advantage : C. II, 89,

in, 163.

pry est. n., priest : Ch. I, 227.
prys. see prise,
puuchement, ;/., punishment:

C. I, 93.
purflt, ppl, put away : T. Ill,

209 [as in a purse?].
purvay. v., provide : Y. I, 122 ;

purveyd. ppl. : C. II, 224.
purveanoe. n., the right of im
pressing a subject's property

for royal service, or of buying

provisions at an appraised

value : T. IV, 42.
purveyd, see purvay.
purye, »., puree : Ch. n, 128.
pyohe n., wicker baskett : Ch.

II, 107.

pye, n., magpie : Ch. II, 417.
pyght, ppl., plunged: C. IV,

263.
pyn(e), n., pain, distress : Y. II,

56; C. lV,220.

pypyg, v., pipes : T. IV, 195.
pystyll, n., epistle : T. IV, 100.

quaver, v., quiver: Ch. n, 632.
quelle, t>., destroy: C. V, 125;

qwelle : C. II, 97.
quhan. adv., when : C. II, 16.
quod, v., quoth, said : C. I, 25.
qwant, see qwaynt.
qwart, n., health: T. H, 7.

[ON. *kvert.]

qwaynt, to make It qwaynt,

to act disdainfully : T, IV, 208;

qwant, adj., clever : T. IV, 593 ;
strange: T. IV, 647. [OF.
cointe, Lat. cognitum. The de
velopment of meaning is ob
scure, it took place in OF.]

qweasse, v., T. IV, 487, of ob
scure history and meaning,
perhaps related to queasy,
troubled, unwell.

qwedyr, v., quiver : C. II, 180.
[Onomatopoetic word.]

qwelle. see quelle

qwelp, n., whelp: T. HI, 425.

qweme,? .. gratify ,please :C.1, 122.

qwen(e), n., queen : C. I, 333 ;
T. I, 80.

qwere, adv., where : C. I, 149.

qwhy, adv., why : T. IV, 114 ;
qwy : C. II, 100.

qwy, see qwhy.

qwyk, adj., quick : C. I, 207.

rad, adj., frightened T. IV, 175.

[OE. hr<edd-r.]
raffe, v ., rave : Y. n, 146 ; rafys :

T. in, 273.
rake, n., course of cattle in

grazing : Ch. II, 40.
ramyd, ppl., oppressed : T. IV,

16.
r ansake, v., examine thoroughly,

C. IV, 251.
rase, on a rase, in a hurry,

quickly : T. Ill, 451.
rasyd, ppl., raced, rushed: T.

raw,' n., row : T. IV, 109.
rawnson, v., ransom : T. Ill, 298.
reade, see rede.
red(e), v., prepare : Y. I, 124 ;

T. IV, 336.
rede, v., advise : Ch. II, 442 ;

C. V, 89 ; Y. n, 18, 109, IV,

33; T. IV, 467; read(e) : Ch.

I, 682, n, 144, 661; redd:

Ch. I, 113.
rede, n., advice : Y. n, 146. m,

20 ; T. IV, 623 ; reade : Ch. I,

661.

aid, remedy : T. I, 312.
rede, adj., ready : T. IV, 569.
refe, v., rob, deprive : T. IV, 19.

312

Glossary

refuse, v., renounce : Oh. II, 678.
rek, v., care, heed : T. Ill, 455,

IV, 307.

rom, »., realm : C. V, 19.
remeued, ppl., (lit.) removed,

(here) interpreted : Y. I, 50.
rent, «., tribute, tax : Ch. I, 270.
reprefe, v., reprove : T. IV, 39.
reprefe, «., reproof, shame : T.

IV, 576; repreff: C. II, 115.
resaue, v., receive : T. Ill, 472.
resorte, v., apply : C. I, 75.
restorete, «., restorative, 'ap
petizer ' : T. Ill, 238.
reuthe. «., sorrow, pity : Y. II,

24; rewthe: C.I, 59; T. IV,

418 ; rowthe : C. IV, 267 ;

ruthe : Y. II, 36.
rewes, v., grieves: Y. II, 36.
rewthe, see reuthe.
reyll, v., set about it: T. IV,

275 : reel, go about : T. Ill, 270.
riall, adj., royal : Y. Ill, 109.
rode, n., rood, cross : C. V, 45 ;

roode : T. IV, 182, 236, 374.
rok, «., distaff : T. IV, 389.
roo, n., peace : Y. Ill, 19. [OE.

row, Ger. Ruh^

roode, see rode.

rott, «., a fatal disease of the
liver, to which sheep are liable :
Ch.II, 34; T.III, 26.

rowne, z>:, whisper : T. IV, 263.
[OE. run, whisper; cf. Ger.
raunen.\

rowthe, see reuthe.

roys,

praise T. Ill, 234.

[ON. hrosa, praise.J
royse. v., boast, bluster : Y. IV,

69. [ME. roister, OF. ntsstre,

n., a roisterer, ruffian.]
ruthe, see reuthe.
ryaltye, «., royalty : Ch. I, 23.

[OF. retalte'.]

rybbe, «., water-cress : Ch.II, 22.
ryfe, adj., abundant : Y. 1, 102 ;

adv., commonly : Y. II, 17 ;

T. Ill, 96.

ryfys, v., falls apart : T. IV, 83.
ryke, «., kingdom : T. Ill, 92.
ryn, v., run : T. Ill, 428, IV,

108, 160, 467, 494.

rype, v., search : T. IV, 515.
ryst, v., rest : T. IV, 630. (For
rime.)

sa. v., say Y. I, 92.

saffyng-, n., salvation : Y. Ill,

102.
sash, v., saw : T. Ill, 180, 325,

360.

sagrh, v., say : T. IV, 606.
sagh, n., saw, argument T. I,

239 ; sawe : T. Ill, 163.
sak, n., blame, guilt : Y. I, 195.
sakles, adj., blameless, Y. IIy

181, 288.

salue. n., help, remedy : C. V, 11.
sam(e), adv., together : Y. II,

301 ; T. Ill, 179, 499, IV, 620 ;

so sam : T. I, 305. [OE. same,

Ger. zusammen.\
samyne, same : T. Ill, 398.
sande, «., message : Y. I, 220,

II, 217, 218, 222, 266 ; seand :

Y. II, 235 ; sonde : C. II, 24 ;

cf. sond, messenger.
sande, »., land : Y. IV, 108.
sandens, n., ambassadors : Ch.

I, 226.
sangre, »., song : T. Ill, 430.

[OE. sang, ON. sdngr.}

sapyens, »., wisdom : C. 1, 175.
saule, n., soul : Y. 1, 237 ; saull :

T. II, 49, III, 260 ; sawle :

Y. Ill, 50 ; saules : T. Ill,

283 ; sawlys : T. Ill, 77.
saunoe, prep., without : T. Ill,

112.

savour, v., taste : T. IV, 98.
savverraye,w.,savoury, ahighly

seasoned dish, still served in

England as the last course of

a dinner : Ch. II, 204.
sawes, »., words : Y. 1, 119, II,

190.

sawle, sawlys, see saule.
sawsed, ppl., seasoned : T. Ill,

215.

sawtere, «., psalter : C. Ill, 170.
saynt, v., show off (?) : T. IV,

209.
schadu, v., shadow, surround :

C. I, 250.

Glossary

313

scbappe. «., shape, form : C. |
I, 293.

schent see shend e

schep, n., scarcity (?) : C. IV,
107. [OE. seep, basket for
measuring grain, hence the
amount measured, hence, per
haps, any small amount.]

se e n., throne, seat : Ch. I, 5,
18 ; C. I, 241, V, 145.

seourlye, adv., surely : Ch. II,
480,665. Cf. sekyr, sloker,&c.

seeminge. pr. pi., appearing:
Ch. II, 312.

seeth. see syth

sege, »., seat, throne : Y. I, 67,
163; III, 59. Cf. se.

•eke, adj., sick : T. IV, 485.

sekirly, see sekyr.

sekyr, adv., surely: C. II, 23,
IV, 10 ; sekyrly : C. IV, 35 ;
Bekirly : Y. II, 63. Cf . se-
curelye and sicker.

selcouthfe). adj., strange, unu
sual : Y. II, 161, in, 94, IV,
47, 53; T. II, 40. [OE. seld,
rarely -f cud, known.]

sely, adj., simple : T. IV, 10, 65;
silly : T. IV, 67. Cf. oeyll.
[OE. salig — blessed, Ger. selig,
Mod. Eng. silly.]

sentens, n., decisions: C. I,
123.

•ere, adj., many, several : Y.
Ill, 32 ; T. I, 274.

•esyd, ppL, seized, fixed : C. H,

sethe. see syth

seyn(e), ppL, seen: C. Ill, 15;

T. lit, 14.
seyth, n., argument, reason :

C. I. 103.
shadyr , v., shelter, seek shelter (?)

C. V, 66.

shamfastnes. n., modesty, bash-
fulness : C. I, 234.
shank, n., leg : T. IV, 565.
shape, v., prepare, make ready

for : Ch. II, 100, 102 ; shapyn.

ppl. : C. V, 17.
shekyls, «., shackles, bonds:

T. IV, 72.

shend(e),^., disgrace : Ch.1, 138 ;

•heynd : T. IV, 640 ; shente

ppl. : Ch. II, 243 ; sohent : C.

II, 33.
harm, injure: Ch. n, 261.

[OE. sctndan.]
shene. n., splendor, brightness :

C. V, 15.
sheweth, v., appeareth : Ch. I,

327 ; shewyght : C. V, 25.
she win ge. adj., apparent: Ch.

I, 336.

shewyght see sheweth.
sheynd. see shende.
shilde, 7-., shield, protect : Ch.II,3.
shone, «., shoes : T. IV, 62.
shrew, v., curse : T. in, 251,

253, 276, IV, 299.
shrew, «., a wicked, or malignant

person, generally a woman :

T. IV, 151, 210, 221, 453;

shrewe : Ch. II, 66, 154, 243;

shrewys : T. IV, 138.
shrewde, adj., evil, accursed :

Ch. II, 13. [Ppl. of shrew,

q. v.]
shrogys, n., shrubs, thicket :

T. IV, 455. [Gaelic sgrogag.]
shy ft, n., device, expedient :

T. IV, 285.

shyld, see outtihyld.
sioh, such : T. passim ; cf. slyke.
sioker, adv., surely : Ch. I, 312 ;

syoker: Ch. I, 326, 648;

syrker : Ch. I, 674 ; sicker

lye: Ch. I, 564, 628, 712;

syoerly: Ch. II, 209. See

seonrelye, sekyr
sithen, adv., afterward : Y. I, 7.
skard, ppl., frightened, scared :

T. IV, 289, 648.
skarthis, n., fragments : T. Ill,

160. [ON. skard = a breach.]
skawde, «., scold : T. IV, 596.
skayll n., a bowl, a cup : T. Ill,

249.
skelp, n., a blow : T. in, 424.

[Gaelic sgealp.]
skorde, see skore
skore, v., scour: C. HI, 133;

skorde, ppl., scoured : T. HI,

236.

314

Glossary

skyll, n., reasoning : T. Ill, 199.

[ON. skill, discernment.]
sla, v., slay : Y. II, 69 ; slawe,

ppl. : C. V, 37. [OE. slagen.}
Slen, -v., slay : C. V, 48. [OE.

slean.]
sleyt, «., trick, device : Ch. I,

621 ; slyght : T. IV, 433.
slike see slyke.
slokyn, ppl., slaked, assuaged:

T. IV, 677.
slyght, see sleyt.
slyk(e), such : Y. I, 99, II, 185,

IV, 102 ; T. Ill, 94 ; slike :

Y. passim. See sich and swylc.
slythys, v., slides : T. IV, 122.
snek, »., latch: T. IV, 306.
snelle, adj.. active, spirited : C.

II, 141.

sogh, n., sow : T. Ill, 274.
somkyn(s), adj., of some kind :

Y. II, 137 ; T. IV, 708.
sond, n., messenger : T. IV, 202.

Of. sande.
sonde, see sande.
SOrwe, n., sorrow : C. passim.
sose, n., sauce : Ch. II, 204.
sotchell, n., bag : Ch. II, 133.

[OF. sachell.}
sothen, »., boiled, or seethed,

meat : T. in, 224.
sothren, adj., southern : T. IV,

215.
soueranly, adv., especially: Y.

I, 155.

sowde, v., sounded : T. Ill, 312.
sowll, n., sauce, relish : T. Ill,

152. [OF. saulse, Lat. salsa.}
sowsed, ppl.. soaked, pickled :

Ch. II, 121.
soyne, adv., soon : T. Ill, 372,

IV, 50, 478.
spad, ppl., sped, prospered :

C. V, 58.
spar, v., close, fasten : T. IV,

327. [OE. *sparrian\
spart, v'., spare it (?) : T. 111,271.
spede, ?/., promoter of success :

C. IV, 310.

spedly, adv., quickly : C. V, 62.
apell(e), v., to write down : C.V,

53 ; to speak, tell : T. III. 412.

spelle, n., speech: C. II, 221.
spendyng, n., ready money :

T. IV, 173, 277.
spill, -v., injure, destroy : Y. II,

176 ; spyll : T. I, 129, 200 ;

spyllys : T. IV, 540 ; spylt :

T. I, 21.
spirre, v., ask : Y. Ill, 82 ; spyr :

T. II, 21.

spryt, n., spirit : C. II, 135.
spiirne, v., kick, stumble : T. IV.

144.

spyll, spyllys, spylt, see spill,
spyr, see spirre.
spytus, adj., spiteful : T. IV, 57.
stadde, ppl., placed, put: Y.IV,

88 ; stedde : Y. Ill, 22.
sted : beset, put in a hard

place : Y. II, 37 ; T. IV, 74.
stalk, v., walk cautiously, creep

upon : T. IV, 48, 270, 347.
starkly, adv., boldly: C. Ill,

22.
starne, sterne, star : C. Y. & T.

passim.

State, n., position, condition :
Ch. II, 589 ; T. IV, 152.

sted, stedde, see stadde.

stede, n., place : Y. II, 16, 150 ;
T. II, 68, IV, 470, 487, 620.

steepe, v., to imbrue, impreg
nate : Ch. II, 215.

sterne, see starne.

steryd, ppl., stirred, moved:
C. II, 19 ; styrth (pr. ind.) :
C. IV, 96.

steven(e), n., an utterance, song,
speech, prophecy, &c. : C. V,
7; Y.I, 15, 118, 11,260; T. Ill,
409 ; stevyn : T. II, 38, IV,

647. [OE. stefn.}

Stott, n., a steer : T. IV, 518.

strase, «., straws : Y. II, 13.

strate, n., strait, difficulty: T.
IV, 311.

straytely, adv., rigorously, se
verely : Y. II, 37.

streyte, n., any narrow path
or way : Ch. II, 671.

streyte, adv., straightway: C.
IV, 158; stright: T. IV, 434.

stright, see streyte.

Glossary

stroake, v., struck: Ch.II,317.
stnrdely. adv., fixedly, steadily ;

Y. IV, 60.
stye, n., a narrow path : Ch. II,

671.
stylle. adv., forever : C. I, 102 ;

continuously: C.HI, 173, 180.
Btylly, adv., quietly : T. I, 324.
Btyrth. see steryd.
aufferan. n., sovereign: T. IV,

719 ; sufferayne : Y. Ill, 46.
sugett. «., subject : Y. Ill, 64.
suppose, v., suspect: T. IV,

223, 428.
suspowse. n.. suspicion : T. IV,

514.

Bwa, adv., so : Y. passim.
•wane, n., fellow, squire : T. IV,

28; Bwayne: Y.IV, 128.
swelt. v., faint, swoon : T. IV,

525. [OE. sweltan, to die of

heat.]

sweme, n., sorrow : C. I, 127.
awemyth, v., grieves : C. IV, 97.
Bwevyn, n., dream : T. IV, 384.
Bwilke, such : Y. passim.
SWyoh, such : C. passim.
swynke, v., work : T. IV, 312 ;

swynkys : T. IV, 154.
sybbe, adj., related : Ch.H, 555.
sycerly, see Bicker,
syn, since : C. passim.
syt, v., it is proper : C. I, 113.
syth. sythen. since: Ch., C.,

& T. passim, also seeth. sythe.

&C. [OE. siddan, ME. sithen,

become by contraction both

sith and since.]

ta, v., take, betake : Y. I, 233,
II, 65 ; tane, ppl., Y. n, 259 ;
T. I, 172, 238, IV, 320.

tabernakyl, n., receptacle for
the Eucharist, hence figurative
ly, Mary, who is to receive
the body and blood of the
Lord : C. Ill, 138.

tache. n., spot, blemish, hence
characteristic, habit: Ch. II,
285.

talgh, n., tallow : Ch. H, 36, 38.
[ON. tdlg, Ger. talg.]

tame, 7/.,open,broach : Ch.IJ. 1 I ;
tamed, ppl., subdued, dilut
ed : Ch. n, 78.
tamed, p. indie., sang softly :

Ch. II, 432.
tane. see ta.
tarboll, n., bowl for tar: Ch.

n, 175.
tarboyte, n., box for tar, carried

by shepherds for anoiir

sheeps' sores : Ch. II, 175.
tarelnge, n., tarrying: Ch. I,

612 ; tarland, pr. pi. : T. IV,

110.

tarland, see tareinge.
tast, v., touch, test by touching :

C. IV, 224. [OF. taster, Lat.

taxare, from tangere, to touch.

Cf. tangent, tax, task.}
taylea, adj., tailless : Ch. 1, 282.
taytfull, adj., lively, active:

Ch. II, 11. [ON. teitr, cheer
ful.]
teale, v., wheedle, cajole: Ch.

n, 399. [Scotch.]
teene, n., grief, trouble, harm :

Ch. I, 530; T.IH, 20; teyn:

T. IV, 713.
tempte, v., test, try: Ch. I.

548 ; C. IV, 261.
tene, v ., trouble, be troubled :

T. IV, 636 ; teyn : T. IV, 218.
tenory, n., tenor : T. IV, 186.

[It. tenor -e.]
tent, n., heed, notice: Ch. II,

198; C. n, 49; T. in, 334,

406 ; tentt : Y. I, 26.
tenyB, n., tennis : T. IV, 736.
teyn. see teene and tene.
fca, pron. those : Y. II, 82.
, tharmes, «., bellies (i. e. children

to feed.) : T. IV, 391.
tharnyB, v., lacks, needs : T. IV,

191.
the, v., thrive, prosper: C. Ill,

7, V, 82 ; T. IV, 463.
theder. adv., thither : T. IV, 467,

670; thedyr; C. IV, 156;

thyder : Ch. I, 262.
ther, adv., when : C. IV, 134 ;

where : C. IV, 279 ; Y. IV, 87 ;

that: Y. n, 69.

316

Glossary

her gat is. adv., in this way : Y.

I, 48 ; thusgates : Y. I, 212,

II, 11, III, 93.

thertill, adv., thereto : T.I, 241 ;

thertyU : Ch. I, 200 ; feere-

till : Y. II. 113.
I»ir, pron., these : Y. I, 53.
tho, pron., them, those : Ch. I,

589 ; C. II, 186, III, 151 ; T.

II, 62. Of. fra.
i.ofall, con/., although : Y. IV,

101, 121.
thole, v., permit, allow : T. IV.

306.
thoner-flone. n., thunder-dart,

lightning : T. Ill, 324. [OE.

dunor, thunder -f flan, dart.]
thOO, adv., then : Ch. I, 719.
thoro, thorow, see thurgh.
thrall, adj., bound : Ch. I, 275.
thrawe, v., throw : T. Ill, 164.
threpe, v., complain : T. IV, 168.
throwe, «., while, space of time :

Ch. II, 20. [OE. thragh.}
throwys, «., throes, agony: C.

IV, 130.
thurgh. adv., through : Y. I,

192, 194, 226, H, 61, 129, in,

9, 61 ; thoro : C. I, 335 ;

thorwe: C.I, 205, 263, II,

219, IV, 296, V, 13, 45;

thurwe : C. V, 4 ; thorow :

T. IV, 448.
thursse, n., spectre, apparition :

Ch. II, 37. [OE. dyrs.}
thurwe, see thurgh.
Jmsgate, see fcergatis.
thwang, v., to whip, to be

whipped : T. IV, 211.
thyder, see theder.
tight, ppl., am charged, in
tend (?) : Ch. 1, 378, II, 235. [OE.

tihtan, to accuse, charge. Or

perhaps related to dight, Ger.

dichten, to think, intend.)
tlU(e), prep., to : Y. II, 151, 184,

264, 304, IV, 71 ; tyll : T. I,

101, II, 62, IV, 279, &c.
Tille-thekers, «., tile-thatchers :

Y. Ill, heading.
to, conj., until : T. I, 6, 230, 280,

IV, 108, 279, 280, 333, 468.

tobreke, v., break through: C.
V, 56.

todlr, adj., other : Y. II, 51.

tokeninge, n., sign, significa
tion: Ch. I, 441, 605, &c.;
tokenyng : C. & Y. passim.

tokyn «., sign: C. I, 206, II,
102, V, 51 ; T. Ill, 160, IV,
611, 696.

tome, adj., empty : T. IV, 547.

toome, n., leisure : Ch. I, 69.

toryff, v., fall to pieces : Y. II,
153.

toyne, n., tune : T. IV, 477.

trane,

treason, treachery :

T. I, 330. [OF. train, ambush.]
tre(e), n., wood : Ch. I, 328 ; the

cross : Ch. II, 226 ; C. V, 35.
trete, v., confer : T. Ill, 203.
trow(e), v., believe: C., Y., T.

passim.
trussed, ppl., packed in a

bundle : Ch. II, 529.
trye, v., test : C. IV, 251.
tryne, v., to step, go : Y. II, 13.
tugginge, «., pulling, gnawing :

Ch. II, 199.
tupp, n., ram, he-goat : Ch. I,

282 ; tuppes : Ch. II, 11, 399.
turtyl, n., turtle-dove: C. I,

311.
twey, two : C. I, 64 ; tweyn :

C. I, 144, 181, &c. ; tweyners,

twains' : C. Ill, 39.
twynne, v., part, depart: Ch.

II, 535; in twynne, apart:

Ch. II, 537.
tyde, n., time: T. I, 248, III,

431, IV, 77.
tyke, n., cur; hence, knave,

scoundrel : Ch. II, 265*
tyldes, n., (lit.} tents, (fig.}

shelter : Ch. n, 6. [ON. tjald,

OE. teld.]
tyll, see till.

tylthe, «., tithe : T. IV, 13.
tymbrewryght, n., timber-

wright, carpenter : C. IV, 6.
tyn, adj., tiny: T. Ill, 467;

tyne : T. IV, 724.
tynde, see tyne.
tyne, see tyn.

Glossary

317

tyne, v., lose : Y. II, 58 ; T. I,
196, III, 200; tynde, lost:
T. Ill, 39.

destroy : T. I, 16.

tyne, «., auger, vexation : Y.I, 26.

tyte, adv , quickly : T. Ill, 149,
IV, 627; tytter. sooner: T.

III, 152.

tythandls, n , tidings : Y. II, 161,

IV, 72 ; tythyng : T. IV, 199.
tythyng, see tythandli.
tytter, see tyte.

vmshade. v., shadow round

about : T. 1, 128.
unbrace, v., unbrace, undress :

Ch. II, 437.
vnceyll. n., misery : T. Ill, 3.

187. [See oeyll.]
undryd. hundred : C. I, 1.
vnfyid, adj., pure, undefiled :

T.I1I,371 ; vnfylyd : T. 111,366.
vngrathely, adv., carelessly :

wickedly : T. I, 341.
unhapple. adj., unfortunate,

evil : Ch. n, 293.
unkende. see unkynde
unknowlage. n., ignorance : C.

IT, 130.
unkynde. adj., unnatural : C. I,

59 ; unkyndlie, Ch. I, 339 ;

unkende : C. I, 67.
vnlykely, adj., unsuitable : T. I,

266.
vnmyghtfull, adj., impossible:

T. 1, 141.

vnquart, v., harrass, render un
safe : T. II, 72. [ON. *kvert,

well.)
vnryde, adj., enormous, cruel :

T. Ill, 11.
unsought, adj., unexpected : Y.

II, 44.

untill, prep., to : Y. I, 81.
untroat. n., unbelief : C. IV, 256.
unwelde. adj., weak, impotent :

Y. II, 6, 111,74; T.I, 171.
unyte, n., unity : C. I, 135, 184,

205.
vse, v., are accustomed : T. I,

228; usid: T.I, 306.
practice : T. I, 277.

velany, >/., unbecoming conduct,

wickedness: C. U, 103, 114;

T. I, 224.
vengeabyl, adj., revengeful :

C. I, 105, n, 99.
venjauni, n., vengeance : C. I II.

162.
verament, adv., verily, truly :

Ch. I, 310, 639 ; C. I, 264. '
verey, adj., true: Ch. I, 836,

474, 702, 703 ; verray : Y. I,

219.
veryose, n., verjuice : T. Ill,

236.
voydnet, n., emptyness : C. Ill,

109.

wa, adv., way, away : T. I, 326.
waffe, v ., wave, fluctuate : Y. I,

54.

wald(e), v., would : passim.
waiter, T., fall, tumble : Ch. II,

257 ; walteryng : T. IV, 236.

[OE. wealtan, to roll. Cf. -waltz,

welter, &C.1
wan, adj., black, evil: Y. II,

164. [OE. wann, dark, lurid.]
wane, »., wagon: T. Ill, 62,

IV, 29.
wanes, n., houses, dwellings :

Y. II, 123.
war, adj., worse: T. IV, 247

(IV, 331 ?).
warloo, »., traitor, monster :

T. IV, 640 ; warlo : T. IV, 712.

[OE. war logo, a truce breaker.]
warre, v., beware : Ch. II, 247,

257. [OE. warian, be on guard.]
warrysoun,*., reward, guerdon :

Ch. I, 285. [OF. guarison.]
wary, v., curse: T. IV, 19;

waryd, ;>//.: T. IV, 712. [OE.

wergian.\
wastte), adj., vain, idle : Y. I, 53,

196 ; T. I, 332.
wate. 7.. know: Y. passim;

watte : Y. IV, 119. [Northern

form of wot, ist. & 3rd. sing.

pr. indie, of wit. q. v.]
waxes, v., grows: Y. Ill, 41;

waxen, ppl. : Y. II, 95.
wayle, see we ale

318

Glossary

wayte, v., know: T. IV, 75,

226. See wate.
weale, n , happiness, well-being :

Ch. I, 176, 393 ; wayle : Ch. I,

103.

wedders, see weders.
wede, n., garments, clothing :

Y. II, 302, III, 67 ; T. IV, 731 ;

hence, appearance : Y. I, 30 ;

(fig.) man's body : C. I, 178 ;

weedes : Ch. II, 507.
weders, «., wethers : T. IV, 57 ;

wedders: Ch. II, 4, 200;

wedir : T. IV, 451.
wedlr, see weders.
wedmen, n., husbands : T. IV,

65.

wedyr, whether : C. II, 145.
weedes, see wede.
weened, v., see wene.
weete, v., wet : Ch. II, 143.
weete, v., wit, know : Ch. II,

74 ; wete, C. I, 160, III, 156.
weft n., woven stuff : T. IV, 587.
welaway, interj., alas !, woe ! :

C. II, 57, 78 ; weleaway ; C.

IV, 253. [OE. wa la wa, woe,

10, woe !]

weldand, adj., mighty, power
ful : Y. Ill, 1, 45 ; T. I, 143.

welde, v., rule, have power :
Y. IV, 105. [Cf. weldand
which is pr. pi. of this verb.]

welfare, adj., very fair, very
pleasant : T. IV, 716.

welly s, n., springs : C. I, 25.

welner, adv., well nigh ; T. IV,
387.

wem, n., spot, plemish : T. I, 37.

wemmostlye, adv.. spotlessly:
Ch. I, 629.

wend, see wene.

wend(e),^.,go : passim-, weynd(e) :
T. I, 53, 76, 150 &c.

wondyng, n., thought, plan :
Y. II, 71. Cf. wene.

wene, v., think: Y. II, 214: T.

III, 215 ; weyn(e) : T. Ill, 215,

IV, 129, 695, 712 ; weened :
Ch. II, 374 ; wend : Ch. 1, 701,

11, 222; Y. II, 3; T. I, 5 ;
wenyd : T. I, 275.

wenyand, pr. pi., waning : T.

IV, 405.

wenyd, see wene.
wepyn, «., weapons: T. IV,

615.

were, n., penalty: Ch. I, 189;
tax : Ch. I, 393 ; imperfection :
Ch. I, 469, 500 (?), 569 ; doubt :
Y. IV, 3. [OE. wer, man, then
money, payed by the murderer
to the relatives of the dead
man. The examples in our
plays show the later develop
ment of meaning.]

wete, see weete.

wex, v., waxed, increased : T.

I, 230.

weye, adj., weary : C. IV, 59.
weyl(l), adv., well : C. IV, 43,

V, 84 ; T. Ill, 1, 269 &c.
weyll, n., weal, happiness : T.

IV, 125.

weynd(e), see wend,
wheder,^™*., which : T. Ill, 70 ;

whethir : Y. II, 53.
whethir, see wheder.
whewted, v., sang : Ch. II, 422.

[Onomatopoetic.]
whik, adj., quick, living : T. IV,

548.
whonde, v., hide, conceal : C.

II, 211.

whore, adv., where : T. IV, 402.
whore, adj., hoar : Ch. II, 497.
whyght, see wight,
whyr, inter j., an order to the

sheep : T. Ill, 117.
whyt, see wight,
whyte, v., requite : T. IV, 294.
Wight, w.,person, man or woman :

passim-, whyght: C. Ill, 62,

IV, 267.
wilsom, adj., wilful, obstinate :

Y. I, 127.
wisse, v., guide, direct: Y. I,

196, II, 231, III, 29.

show : Y. II, 239, III, 28 ;

wysse : C. IV, 309.
Wist, Wyst, v., know : passim.

[Spurious word, improperly

used for pret. of witt,]
Witt, wytt, v., know : passim.

Glossary

319

witt, wytt, >/., knowledge, wis
dom, mind : Ch. I, 349 ; Y. I,
105 ; T. Ill, 38, 143, 145 ; wyt-
ty« : T. Ill, 171, 173.

witterlye, adv., surely : Ch. I,
360, 578, 617, 664.

witty, adj., wise : Y. IV, 18.

wod, »., world (?) : T. IV, 650.

wold, n., power : T. I, 145.

won, v., dwell, live: T. I, 5,
337; wonyn: C. V, 105;
wonyght : C. V, 9 ; wonne :
T. I, 67, 166, III, 60.

wond, v., expected, believed : C.
I, 307.

wonder, adj., wonderful : T. 1,
216, 111,143; wondyr: C.V,
78; woundyr: C. IV, 100;
wonders : Ch. I, 419. II, 162,
397.

adv., wonderfully : T. Ill, 306.

wone, n., place: Y. HI, 7;
wonys (plur.) : T. IV, 526.

wonges, n., cheeks : Y. II, 41.

wonne, see won.

wonyght, see won.

wonyn, see won.

wood, adj., mad, crazy : T. Ill,
134, IV, 373.

worthe, v., to become : Y. II, 97.

wot, wote, wott, wotte, v.,

know : passim, (ist. sing. pr.

ind. of ivtt.)
would, n., an open tract of

country: Ch. II, 286, 294;

w ouldes : Ch. n, 1.
woundyr. see wonder,
wragers, w.,wranglers : T.III,58.
wrangwy sly, adv., wrongfully :

T. I, 22, 354.
wreakinge, «., recking : Ch. II,

374.

wreyei, v., betrays : Y. II, 165.
wrokyn, ppl., avenged : T. I \ .

614.
wryers, n., twisters, pervertere :

T. Ill, 58.
wysh, v., show : T. I, 124. See

wine,
wygge, wy»t, wyt, Ac., see

wisse, wilt, &c.
wyte, -v., credit, believe : C. II,

s£\J\)*

wyte, adj., white : C. IV, 304.
wythe, see wight.

ga, gha, yea, indeed: C. & Y.

gaff, see geve.

yare, adj., ready, prepared; T.

IV, 704.

yede, see yode.
yeld(e), -v., yield, grant : Ch. II,

681; T. II, 29; zeld(e) : C.

HI, 155, IV. 85. '
yelp, v., boast, brag: T. Ill,

422. [OE. gilpan.\

yenge, adj., young : Y. I, 38,
215 ; ?enge : C. & Y. passim ;
Y. Ill, 96;^: T.I,

ger, n., year : C. Ill, 170, 171, &c.
yerdy», n., staves, wands : T. I,

248.
zeve, -v., give: C. H, 77, V,

146; gaff: C. I, 167; rove:

C. IV, 268.
Zf, giff, if:C. & Y.
ying, £ing, see yenge.
zove, see zeye.
yode, -v., went : T. IV, 183, 503,

506 ; yede : T. IV, 367. [OE.

eode.\
yoo, n., ewe : Ch. II, 30.

YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH.
ALBERT S. COOK, EDITOR.

^ I. The Foreign Sources of Modern English Versification.

CHARLTON M. LEWIS, Ph.D. $0.50.
^ II. ^Elfric : A New Study of his Life and Writings. CAROLINE

LOUISA WHITE, Ph.D. $1.50.
m. The Life of St. Cecilia, from MS. Ashmole 43 and MS.

Cotton Tiberius E. VII, with Introduction, Variants, and

Glossary. BERTHA ELLEN LOVEWELL, Ph.D. $1.00.
IV. Dry den's Dramatic Theory and Practice. MARGARET SHER
WOOD, Ph.D. $0.50.
V. Studies in Jonson's Comedy. ELISABETH WOODBRIDGE,

Ph.D. $0.50.
VI. A Glossary of the West Saxon Gospels, Latin-West Saxon

and West Saxon-Latin. MATTIE ANSTICE HARRIS, Ph.D.

$1.50.
VII. Andreas : The Legend of St. Andrew, translated from the

Old English, with an Introduction. ROBERT KILBURX

ROOT. $0.50.
VIII. The Classical Mythology of Milton's English Poems.

CHARLES GROSVENOR OSGOOD, Ph.D. $1.00.
IX. A Guide to the Middle English Metrical Romances dealing

with English and Germanic Legends, and with the

Cycles of Charlemagne and of Arthur. ANNA HUNT

BILLINGS, Ph.D. $1.50.
X. The Earliest Lives of Dante, translated from the Italian of

Giovanni Boccaccio and Lionardo Bruni Aretino. JAMES

ROBINSON SMITH. $0.75.
XI. A Study in Epic Development IRENE T. MYERS, Ph.D.

$1.00.

Tale Studies in English

XII. The Short Story. HENRY SEIDEL CANBY. $0.30.

XIII. King Alfred's Old English Version of St. Augustine's

Soliloquies, edited with Introduction, Notes, and
Glossary. HENRY LEE HARGROVE, Ph.D. $1.00.

XIV. The Phonology of the Northumbrian Gloss of St.

Matthew. EMILY HOWARD FOLEY, Ph.D. $0.75.

XV. Essays on the Study and Use of Poetry by Plutarch

and Basil the Great, translated from the Greek,
with an Introduction. FREDERICK M. PADELFORD,
Ph.D. $0.75.
XVI. The Translations of Beowulf: A Critical Bibliography.

CHAUNCEY B. TINKER, Ph.D. $0.75.

XVII. The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson, edited with Intro
duction, Notes, and Glossary. CHARLES M. HATHA
WAY, JR., Ph.D. $2.50. Cloth, $3.00.
XVIII. The Expression of Purpose in Old English Prose.

HUBERT GIBSON SHEARIN, Ph.D. $1.00.
XIX. Classical Mythology in Shakespeare. ROBERT KILBURN

ROOT, Ph.D. $1.00.
XX. The Controversy between the Puritans and the Stage.

ELBERT N. S. THOMPSON, Ph.D. $2.00.
XXI. The Elene of Cynewulf, translated into English Prose.

Lucius HUDSON HOLT. $0.30.

XXII. King Alfred's Old English Version of St. Augustine's
Soliloquies, turned into Modern English. HENRY LEE
HARGROVE, Ph.D. $0.75.

XXIII. The Cross in the Life and Literature of the Anglo-Saxons.

WILLIAM O. STEVENS, Ph.D. $0.75.

XXIV. An Index to the Old English Glosses of the Durham

Hymnarium. HARVEY W. CHAPMAN. $0.75.
XXV. Bartholomew Fair, by Ben Jonson, edited with Introduc
tion, Notes, and Glossary. CARROLL STORRS ALDEN
Ph.D. $2.00.

XXVI. Select Translations from Scaliger's Poetics. FREDERICK
M. PADELFORD, Ph.D. $0.75.

XXVII. Poetaster, by Ben Jonson, edited with Introduction,
Notes, and Glossary. HERBERT S. MALLORY, Ph.D.
$2.00. Cloth, $2.50.

Tale Studies in English

XXVIII. The Staple of News, by Ben Jonson, edited with
Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. DE WINTER,
Ph.D. $2.00. Cloth, $2.50.

XXIX. The Devil is an Ass, by Ben Jonson, edited with In
troduction, Notes, and Glossary. WILLIAM SAVAGE
JOHNSON, Ph.D. $2.00. Cloth, $2.50.

XXX. The Language of the Northumbrian Gloss to the
Gospel of St. Luke. MARGARET DUTTON KELLUM,
Ph.D. $0.75.

XXXI. Epicoene, by Ben Jonson, edited with Introduction,
Notes, and Glossary. AURELIA HENRY, Ph.D. $2.00.
Cloth, $2.50.

XXXII. The Syntax of the Temporal Clause in Old English
Prose. ARTHUR ADAMS, Ph.D. $1.00.

XXXIII. The Knight of the Burning Pestle, by Beaumont and

Fletcher, edited with Introduction, Notes, and
Glossary. HERBERT S. MURCH, Ph.D. $2.00. Cloth,
$2.50.

XXXIV. The New Inn, by Ben Jonson, edited with Intro

duction, Notes, and Glossary. GEORGE BREMNER
TENNANT, Ph.D. $2.00. Cloth, $2.50.
XXXV. A Glossary of Wulfstan's Homilies. LORING H. DODD,

Ph.D. $1.00.

XXXVI. The Complaint of Nature. Translated from the Latin
of Alain de Lille. DOUGLAS M. MOFFAT, $0.75.

XXXVII. The Collaboration of Webster and Dekker. FRE
DERICK ERASTUS PIERCE, Ph.D. $1.00.

XXXVIII. English Nativity Plays. Edited with Introduction,
Notes, and Glossary. SAMUEL B. HEMINGWAY, Ph.D.
$2.00. Cloth $2.50.

BINDING SECT. JUL 1 C

PR Hemingway, Samuel Burdett
1260 English nativity plays

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